What's in a Name?
Easter -- many enjoy it, many Christians celebrate, and much of society has lost the meaning. The whole purpose of Easter is to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what it's for -- it's a decidedly Christian holy day.
But it has become commercialized. Today, it is a money-maker. And many Christians fall for it.
Is there anything inherently wrong with hunting for eggs? Or eating chocolate bunnies? Nothing at all. But!...why are you doing it? If you're doing it all as an addition to celebrating the most important weekend in history, then more power to ya'. If you choose not to celebrate Easter and instead call it Resurrection day, then please continue that practice. If you are celebrating Easter with ONLY eggg hunts and chocolate bunnies, and it's the first time of each year that you go to Church (the other time being Christmas, which is another decidedly Christian holy day), even if you aren't a follower of Christ, then you can thank Jesus Christ for it, because He what makes it possible.
The term Easter comes from a pagan background (search for Easter and you'll know all you can about it), and as usual the Church worldwide, at least in the past, has either fought against a pagan day, such as Halloween, by making an opposing Christian holy day (in the case of Halloween, they made the following day All Saints' Day, and today many Churches celebrate Reformation Day on Oct. 31, and/or have costume parties); or the Church has subsumed, or sanitized, various pagan practices and symbols. What's good about this is that the Church is fighting the culture. What's bad, especially regarding Easter and Christmas, is that the Church has largely given up the fight. We have, as a whole in America, followed the world's leading and integrated their practices into our holy days. The commercial world has taken over Easter and Christmas, and it survives largely because of the revenue. They are alive, not because Jesus lives (He certainly does!), but because Christians keep buying the eggs and bunnies and gimmicks.
If the Church is to win, we must give up - give up buying all those things, stay home, teach your children the true meaning of life (to follow Jesus and keep His commands), and worship our Risen Savior.
What's in the name Easter? Christmas? We used to read the Bible to point us to the Triune God. Now we listen to retailers to point us to their sales.
But it has become commercialized. Today, it is a money-maker. And many Christians fall for it.
Is there anything inherently wrong with hunting for eggs? Or eating chocolate bunnies? Nothing at all. But!...why are you doing it? If you're doing it all as an addition to celebrating the most important weekend in history, then more power to ya'. If you choose not to celebrate Easter and instead call it Resurrection day, then please continue that practice. If you are celebrating Easter with ONLY eggg hunts and chocolate bunnies, and it's the first time of each year that you go to Church (the other time being Christmas, which is another decidedly Christian holy day), even if you aren't a follower of Christ, then you can thank Jesus Christ for it, because He what makes it possible.
The term Easter comes from a pagan background (search for Easter and you'll know all you can about it), and as usual the Church worldwide, at least in the past, has either fought against a pagan day, such as Halloween, by making an opposing Christian holy day (in the case of Halloween, they made the following day All Saints' Day, and today many Churches celebrate Reformation Day on Oct. 31, and/or have costume parties); or the Church has subsumed, or sanitized, various pagan practices and symbols. What's good about this is that the Church is fighting the culture. What's bad, especially regarding Easter and Christmas, is that the Church has largely given up the fight. We have, as a whole in America, followed the world's leading and integrated their practices into our holy days. The commercial world has taken over Easter and Christmas, and it survives largely because of the revenue. They are alive, not because Jesus lives (He certainly does!), but because Christians keep buying the eggs and bunnies and gimmicks.
If the Church is to win, we must give up - give up buying all those things, stay home, teach your children the true meaning of life (to follow Jesus and keep His commands), and worship our Risen Savior.
What's in the name Easter? Christmas? We used to read the Bible to point us to the Triune God. Now we listen to retailers to point us to their sales.
posted by Christian Bard | 8:15 AM
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