What's in a Name?

It's that time of year. My kids are offered easter eggs wherever we go. I have to ask - what do chocolate and eggs and buns and bunnies have to do with Jesus? What do they have to do with death or resurrection?

I grew up with the conviction that Easter has pagan origins. Recently, I have read an argument that suggests the word "Easter" actually had Christian origins. Maybe...

BUT, even someone with no knowledge of history can ask the question - what do chocolate and eggs and buns and bunnies have to do with Jesus? And, in fact, what do Friday and Sunday have to do with Jesus? Friday night to Sunday morning isn't three days and three nights however you carve it up. Seriously, just try it. If you read the Biblical account of Jesus death and resurrection you will find He died just before a Sabbath, yes, but not a weekly Sabbath - he died just before the High Sabbath at the beginning of the Days of Unleavened Bread (see Leviticus 23 for more about these days).

Jesus told His disciples to observe the Passover evening (what many refer to as the Last Supper) as a memorial (a memorial is to be observed once a year, not once a week) to Him (see Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22 and John 13). So why Easter? The symbols that Jesus instituted were the (unleavened) bread and wine and foot washing, not eggs, bunnies and buns.

How does the self-indulgence of eating chocolate and cakes represent Jesus Christ's spirit of self-sacrifice? How does telling children (untrue) stories about Easter bunnies represent the Jesus who said: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6)? Can these symbols possibly honour Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection?

I have often heard it said that anything can be used to God's glory. Really? Would any of us be happy to see a church decorated in swastikas (that had somehow been converted to a "Christian" symbol)?

The Bible does not command, or even suggest many of the symbols and traditions that have come to be associated with Easter. Why would we want to substitute human traditions for what Jesus did command ("...do this in remembrance of me...")?

For a more complete discussion on Easter and the festivals that God commanded, try watching The Easter Charade, Which Passover Should You Observe? and God's Holy Day Plan: Blueprint for Salvation on Beyond Today TV.

Hope For All Humanity

I love this time of year!

We've just observed the Day of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement. In a few days we will be joining friends in our faith to observe the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day (or Eighth Day). These days (outlined in Leviticus 23, among other places in the Bible) celebrate, not what Jesus Christ has done for us, but the future hope for all humanity!

Earlier in the year we observed the Biblical days depicting Jesus Christ's death and resurrection, the removal of sin from our lives and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost).

What a joy it is to now (impatiently!) look forward to a time when "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Habakuk 2:14)! We don't know when that will be, but we see the signs, like the fig tree putting forth leaves (Matthew 24:32).

Observing these days reminds us that God truly will offer everyone an opportunity for salvation - that no one is forgotten or left out. What an incredible promise!

Unlike the pagan holidays, Christmas and Easter, God's Holy Days are a reminder of His whole plan.

And that's why I love this time of year.

Do You Love God?

Really??

Do you believe in God? Do you trust Him? Do you love Him? More than your friends and family? The way He wants to be loved? Really? Really truly?

Jesus Christ who came to earth and died for our sins was the I AM of the Old Testament (He said so to the Pharisees in John 8:58) - the I AM who thundered to the Israelites in the wilderness and commanded them to kill those who had worshipped the golden calf (three thousand died that day - Exodus 32:27-28). This Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)

So if you discovered that Easter and Christmas are pagan holidays, would you stop keeping them since God hates idolatry and pagan worship? Even if it really upset your sister? Or your kids? Or your husband? Are you sure you really love God? Or would you rather pretend to worship Him while enjoying the pagan rites of the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia?

What if you read in the Bible that it says that God hates lying - would you stop telling your kids about the tooth fairy? Even though it's "just for fun"? Would you?

If you discovered that the seventh day Sabbath was never changed or "done away with", would you give up Saturday football for God? Would you go to church then, even though your friends thought you'd gone a bit weird? Do you really love God?

Do you love God enough to read His whole Book? Without filters on? Not just bits and pieces but the whole lot, beginning to end - really paying attention to the details? Without finishing His sentences for Him, but reading what He is actually saying?

Do you love God enough to see you've been wrong and change? Do I? Because we've all been wrong and we've all got to change in some way. Do we really love God that much? If we don't ask ourselves that question, He will ask it for us some day. Are you ready for the answer?

I recommend watching God's Love Language to delve further into these questions.

Why A World Without The Easter Bunny?

Around this time every year, my girls are taken by surprise. Someone somewhere asks them something like: Are you looking forward to Easter? Inevitably, they respond with a stunned silence, usually until I answer for them. We don't celebrate Easter. I can almost hear what they are thinking.

That's weird.

Poor kids. (This photo shows two of our deprived children enjoying time during one of God's appointed festivals)

Why?

And sometimes:

I thought you were Christians.

Imagine this little scenario for a moment:

A married woman has an affair and leaves her husband for a number of years. Eventually she realises that she was better off with her husband. Her lover is cruel and abusive. Finally she breaks off her affair and returns to her loving and forgiving husband. However, she can't understand why he gets so mad when she throws a big party on the anniversary of her affair. She invites all of her lovers friends and gets caterers to prepare his favourite foods and provide his favourite drinks. She thinks her husband shouldn't mind - that he should be grateful, even - because she says she is throwing this party for him... What do you think?

Yes, I guess it is weird to most people that we don't celebrate Easter. No, not poor kids. Yes, we are Christians - followers of Christ. Christ did not celebrate Easter. Easter started long before Christ was born, and bunnies and chocolate eggs have everything to do with worshipping a false goddess and nothing to do with Christ's death and resurrection. Even though they are still young, our children are already learning and appreciating the importance of worshipping God as He commands on His Holy Days. We cannot truly worship God by throwing a party for ancient pagan gods and saying that it is for the True God. It's like the woman throwing a party for the anniversary of her affair.

There are plenty of fun things we can do for and with our kids without disobeying God's command NOT to worship Him in the way other religions worship their (false) gods.

We want to honour God as HE wants to be honoured - that's why we have a world without Easter bunny.

To read more about the origins of Easter, look here, and to find out about the holy days that God expects Christians to observe today and what they represent, click here