An Unapologetically Christian Holiday
It seems every year we have a cold spell right around Easter. Monday, while our Jewish friends were celebrating the Passover, it was snowing. Easter falls late this year and yet the snow came and reminded us that spring is not yet in control. Looking at the extended forecast shows a beautiful day on Sunday with a chance of a few thunderstorms. It will be a great day to get out and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. This means for many families the hunting for Easter eggs and eating Peeps.
In a society that is increasingly becoming secular we should not be surprised to see the commercialization of Easter to continue to grow. It is harder every year to help our children look through Easter bunnies and eggs and see Christ. I am not saying we cannot participate in these events. I just want to encourage you as parents and grandparents to not let the secular experience of Easter to diminish what Easter is meant to celebrate; the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Easter is the most authentic of Christian holidays. What I mean by that statement is, unlike some of our other holidays like Christmas, Easter is not a Christian redefining of a pagan holiday. When the Roman Empire became a Christian empire it replaced many of the pagan holidays with Christian holidays. That is not the case with Easter. Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was crucified on the Passover. The day of Passover is a lunar holiday in which the people of Israel remembered the passing over of the death angel which led to their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Being a lunar holiday means that it changes every year based on the stage of the moon, not the sun like our standard calendar. That is why every year Easter falls on a different day. Jesus Christ died on Passover as the perfect sacrificial lamb. He was buried in a tomb. One the third day (Sunday) he arose. We always celebrate Easter on the Sunday following Passover. It is a day for Christians to get together and celebrate that Jesus is alive. God raised him from the dead. There is victory over death. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
In a society that is increasingly becoming secular we should not be surprised to see the commercialization of Easter to continue to grow. It is harder every year to help our children look through Easter bunnies and eggs and see Christ. I am not saying we cannot participate in these events. I just want to encourage you as parents and grandparents to not let the secular experience of Easter to diminish what Easter is meant to celebrate; the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Easter is the most authentic of Christian holidays. What I mean by that statement is, unlike some of our other holidays like Christmas, Easter is not a Christian redefining of a pagan holiday. When the Roman Empire became a Christian empire it replaced many of the pagan holidays with Christian holidays. That is not the case with Easter. Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was crucified on the Passover. The day of Passover is a lunar holiday in which the people of Israel remembered the passing over of the death angel which led to their deliverance from bondage in Egypt. Being a lunar holiday means that it changes every year based on the stage of the moon, not the sun like our standard calendar. That is why every year Easter falls on a different day. Jesus Christ died on Passover as the perfect sacrificial lamb. He was buried in a tomb. One the third day (Sunday) he arose. We always celebrate Easter on the Sunday following Passover. It is a day for Christians to get together and celebrate that Jesus is alive. God raised him from the dead. There is victory over death. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
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