Another Easter question

[Guest 4boys]

Ok, please bear with me, as I am not nearly as educated as many here about the origins of Easter and all that goes with it. And I know there are many differing opinions on it as well.

 

I will say that I am a Christian and grew up believing that Easter was a celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection, although we did all the Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies as well. Recently it has come to my attention that Easter is actually a pagan festival dating back to before Christ even died. So what I mean to celebrate isn't Easter at all.

 

So for those of you who are Christians who wish to celebrate Jesus Christ...what do you do instead of Easter?

 

Do you have traditions or gifts in your family that don't include the eggs, bunnies, commercialism, etc? Or do you do those things anyways?

 

We are kind of at a loss what to do with this holiday in our house and I appreciate hearing what others do.

 

I tried to search for this topic in this forum before posting but couldn't find much so forgive me if this has already been discussed at length and I missed it.

[TXMomof4]

This is one more instance where the pagan history doesn't affect me at all. We know Jesus died the Friday before Passover and was raised on the third day. We celebrate Jesus. That is all we do. We go to church, we sing songs celebrating his sacrifice for us, we spend the day with family or friends thanking God for his Son - who is the reason that I have so much in this life.

 

I didn't read the other Easter thread. I think we over-analyze everything entirely too much. If Jesus weren't raised, where would be the reason for celebration? I suppose we would find other things to celebrate, but Easter is *THE* day that I focus on the salvation I've received because of his fulfillment of his purpose.

 

That probably isn't very helpful, but I hate it when the focus is taken away from what we *KNOW* to make this celebration smaller or less meaningful than it is.

[Halftime Hope]

Ok, please bear with me, as I am not nearly as educated as many here about the origins of Easter and all that goes with it. And I know there are many differing opinions on it as well.

 

Here is a timely article that may give you some peace of mind:

 

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/

 

I say that you and your family should celebrate and commemorate the day in whatever manner suits you. I have cute little ceramic easter bunnies on my kitchen counter, and there *will* be chocolate on Sunday morning at my kids' places at the table. However, in addition to that, we're reading selected passover, prophetic, and passion passages from Scripture this week, and our church services will concentrate on Easter.

[OnTheBrink]

My dd colors eggs, but its more of an artsy thing for her; it has no real meaning to her. I don't do baskets, but I do give my dc a gift. Overall, it's a day we celebrate Jesus and our salvation. We celebrate the changing weather and give thanks to He who created it. We don't mind bunnies or chicks or lambs, but they represent spring more than Jesus to us.

[Ellie]

Ok, please bear with me, as I am not nearly as educated as many here about the origins of Easter and all that goes with it. And I know there are many differing opinions on it as well.

 

I will say that I am a Christian and grew up believing that Easter was a celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection, although we did all the Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies as well. Recently it has come to my attention that Easter is actually a pagan festival dating back to before Christ even died. So what I mean to celebrate isn't Easter at all.

 

So for those of you who are Christians who wish to celebrate Jesus Christ...what do you do instead of Easter?

 

Do you have traditions or gifts in your family that don't include the eggs, bunnies, commercialism, etc? Or do you do those things anyways?

 

We are kind of at a loss what to do with this holiday in our house and I appreciate hearing what others do.

 

I tried to search for this topic in this forum before posting but couldn't find much so forgive me if this has already been discussed at length and I missed it.

In our family (non-Catholic, non-liturgical church), we celebrated Easter by having special music (including large choir productions) on Palm and Easter Sundays, often a sunrise service, special dinner after church. I have friends who call it Resurrection Sunday instead of Easter, but calling it Easter doesn't bother me.

 

No bunnies, no baskets. Still Easter.

 

When my dc were a little older, we colored eggs and hid them around the house, 'cuz it's just so darned fun.:D I didn't equate it with Easter, though. [Note: when you hide eggs around the house, be sure you know how many you started with, so you won't find a very old egg several months later tucked in a shoe in your closet.]

[Marie in Oh]

as Resurrection Sunday as well. We don't do bunnies and eggs as that is more pagan to me (it is my understanding that it comes from Baal worship and the worship of spring and new life but I don't remember where I got that info). We do have candy, gifts for the children, new dresses, church, and a nice meal. But the focus is Christ's death and resurrection.

[Hen]

we don't celebrate it at all.

[Lady_Dulcinea]

We don't do baskets and bunnies and whatnot anymore. A few years I just backed up all the baskets and bunnies and stuff to the first day of spring. I emphisized spring stuff - I called it "The Spring Bunny" and "Spring eggs" etc. Then on Easter Sunday it was all about resurrection. My kids love the resurrection rolls. Now I've managed to drop all the spring stuff - because I'm just a boring mama :-) We don't see the need to be spending the money on extra junk and candy.

 

There are ways to connect eggs and many spring things are about new life and can be connected to Jesus and resurrection. However, I've never been able to do anything with the bunny. (exuses me while the bunny song from veggie tales runs through my head).

 

Resurrection rolls: http://my.homewithgod.com/mkcathy/holiday/resurrectionrolls.html

[LoriM]

I host the church-wide Easter egg hunt at my home, and hide over 800 eggs. :) My youngest child is 16, and this is a gift I give the families with young children...and I get to share their adorable kids.

 

I invite every person I see to come to my house for a potluck lunch on Sunday (last year, we had 75+).

 

I celebrate the life of the Risen Lord, whose works I see in my life and my family's lives daily.

 

I conclude my very personal observances during the Lenten season (which typically include some form of service, penance, and abstinence) with a sunrise quiet time. Then I go to church and belt out my favorite hymns. :)

 

And I do not fret about holiday origins, interpretations, or anything else. I have bunnies, chicks, chocolate, jelly beans, and carrot cake. What is there to fret about?

 

:)

[Kathleen in VA]

We do nothing. The Bible says nothing about celebrating Christ's resurrection on a specific day. That was all man's doing and is not rooted in Scripture - it is rooted in man pleasing instead of God pleasing.

 

I would be very, very slow to involve myself in any way with a holiday that has its roots in pagan goddess worship just because I thought it was fun or "harmless." God continually warned the Israelites not to mix with the cultures they lived near and not to worship their gods. I cannot justify associating Christ with anything remotely related to pagan goddess worship no matter how strong the tradition is. To me, it's irreverence bordering on blasphemy.

 

I know, pretty strong language, but these issues have eternal consequences - it is no small matter to drag Christ's name, His sacrifice for His beloved sheep, and His glorious rising from the dead through an invention of man derived from an ancient mystery religion that essentially worships Satan and his demons.

 

Forgive my bluntness, but we're talking about the God of the universe here. We're talking about obedience to His holy word. Today's Christianity is way too man-centered and not nearly God-centered enough. Everyone wants to do it his way - "whatever suits you" is the cry from every corner. Well, what about what suits God? Maybe we should think very long and hard about what God wants.

 

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."

 

Sorry, for being so outspoken, but I truly care for people who think that God winks at all this playing at religion when He has made His will known through His word. He does not want His people mixing truth with untruth and calling it good. We have been so awash in our traditions and our emotions attached to those traditions that we've not really considered if we are truly being obedient. We say we love God, but loving God means obeying Him. Are we willing to sit back and really question these man-made traditions and are we willing to give them up if we find they truly do not honor God?

 

The Bible is the only standard we should be concerned about. I do not care if the early church (after the epistles were written) instituted such a celebration as Easter. To me that is irrelevant. What does the Bible say? Also, remember the letters in the book of Revelation concerning the seven churches. The church at Laeodicea was accused of having left its first love. Churches are comprised of humans - saved perhaps - but humans nevertheless. That means that even if an early church instituted such a holiday that does not necessarily mean that God approved. The Bible is our source for truth - not the early church after the Scriptures were written.

 

Jesus told us to remember his death until He returns. That is all.

[katemary63]

I host the church-wide Easter egg hunt at my home, and hide over 800 eggs. :) My youngest child is 16, and this is a gift I give the families with young children...and I get to share their adorable kids.

 

I invite every person I see to come to my house for a potluck lunch on Sunday (last year, we had 75+).

 

I celebrate the life of the Risen Lord, whose works I see in my life and my family's lives daily.

 

I conclude my very personal observances during the Lenten season (which typically include some form of service, penance, and abstinence) with a sunrise quiet time. Then I go to church and belt out my favorite hymns. :)

 

And I do not fret about holiday origins, interpretations, or anything else. I have bunnies, chicks, chocolate, jelly beans, and carrot cake. What is there to fret about?

 

:)

 

Thank you for this post. You are awesome!

[katemary63]

We do nothing. The Bible says nothing about celebrating Christ's resurrection on a specific day. That was all man's doing and is not rooted in Scripture - it is rooted in man pleasing instead of God pleasing.

 

I would be very, very slow to involve myself in any way with a holiday that has its roots in pagan goddess worship just because I thought it was fun or "harmless." God continually warned the Israelites not to mix with the cultures they lived near and not to worship their gods. I cannot justify associating Christ with anything remotely related to pagan goddess worship no matter how strong the tradition is. To me, it's irreverence bordering on blasphemy.

 

I know, pretty strong language, but these issues have eternal consequences - it is no small matter to drag Christ's name, His sacrifice for His beloved sheep, and His glorious rising from the dead through an invention of man derived from an ancient mystery religion that essentially worships Satan and his demons.

 

Forgive my bluntness, but we're talking about the God of the universe here. We're talking about obedience to His holy word. Today's Christianity is way too man-centered and not nearly God-centered enough. Everyone wants to do it his way - "whatever suits you" is the cry from every corner. Well, what about what suits God? Maybe we should think very long and hard about what God wants.

 

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."

 

Sorry, for being so outspoken, but I truly care for people who think that God winks at all this playing at religion when He has made His will known through His word. He does not want His people mixing truth with untruth and calling it good. We have been so awash in our traditions and our emotions attached to those traditions that we've not really considered if we are truly being obedient. We say we love God, but loving God means obeying Him. Are we willing to sit back and really question these man-made traditions and are we willing to give them up if we find they truly do not honor God?

 

The Bible is the only standard we should be concerned about. I do not care if the early church (after the epistles were written) instituted such a celebration as Easter. To me that is irrelevant. What does the Bible say? Also, remember the letters in the book of Revelation concerning the seven churches. The church at Laeodicea was accused of having left its first love. Churches are comprised of humans - saved perhaps - but humans nevertheless. That means that even if an early church instituted such a holiday that does not necessarily mean that God approved. The Bible is our source for truth - not the early church after the Scriptures were written.

 

Jesus told us to remember his death until He returns. That is all.

 

I understand what you have said and commend you for your passion and faithfulness to God's word.

 

However, for me, I just don't believe you can "accidentally" worship a false God. Bible time people KNEW what they were doing when they mixed with pegan religions and actually started to worship pagan Gods. I grew up having NO IDEA that some of our fun family activites had their roots in ancient paganism. Does that mean that I was worshiping pagan gods my whole life? ( I know you didn't say that, just posing the question.) I think - No. Now, these things such as easter eggs and baskets are simply part of our culture, they have no religious meaning what so ever to anyone we know. They are just fun things to do. We make a big deal of focusing on Christ at Easter and Christmas, but also carry on the fun family activites that I grew up with. I have no fear of easter eggs or baskets turning my family into pagan idol worshipers some day. I just don't. I respect your position but I just don't see it the same way.

[TravelingChris]

:iagree: I don't think we can accidently become pagan worshippers. In the Bible, they were making a choice of following false gods. My chocolate or colorful Easter eggs are not false idols. I don't worship them, I decorate with them.

 

We spend the week before Easter attending services with special music. We do an outreach to the community in each church I have attended whether it is an Easter Egg hunt for children where the Gospel is preached before candy is consumed or like at the present Church, a sunrise service in the town square and Easter breakfast afterwords with a regular Easter service at our church.

[Pamela H in Texas]

So for those of you who are Christians who wish to celebrate Jesus Christ...what do you do instead of Easter?

 

Jesus instituted the Memorial of his death. It replaces the passover (as his was the greater sacrificial death). We commemorate it the same day he did each year. This is done worldwide after sundown. We "keep doing this in rememberance" of him as he commands.

 

We don't do Easter to any degree.

Edited April 7, 2009 by 2J5M9K

[Guest 4boys]

We do nothing. The Bible says nothing about celebrating Christ's resurrection on a specific day. That was all man's doing and is not rooted in Scripture - it is rooted in man pleasing instead of God pleasing.

 

I would be very, very slow to involve myself in any way with a holiday that has its roots in pagan goddess worship just because I thought it was fun or "harmless." God continually warned the Israelites not to mix with the cultures they lived near and not to worship their gods. I cannot justify associating Christ with anything remotely related to pagan goddess worship no matter how strong the tradition is. To me, it's irreverence bordering on blasphemy.

 

I know, pretty strong language, but these issues have eternal consequences - it is no small matter to drag Christ's name, His sacrifice for His beloved sheep, and His glorious rising from the dead through an invention of man derived from an ancient mystery religion that essentially worships Satan and his demons.

 

Forgive my bluntness, but we're talking about the God of the universe here. We're talking about obedience to His holy word. Today's Christianity is way too man-centered and not nearly God-centered enough. Everyone wants to do it his way - "whatever suits you" is the cry from every corner. Well, what about what suits God? Maybe we should think very long and hard about what God wants.

 

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."

 

Sorry, for being so outspoken, but I truly care for people who think that God winks at all this playing at religion when He has made His will known through His word. He does not want His people mixing truth with untruth and calling it good. We have been so awash in our traditions and our emotions attached to those traditions that we've not really considered if we are truly being obedient. We say we love God, but loving God means obeying Him. Are we willing to sit back and really question these man-made traditions and are we willing to give them up if we find they truly do not honor God?

 

The Bible is the only standard we should be concerned about. I do not care if the early church (after the epistles were written) instituted such a celebration as Easter. To me that is irrelevant. What does the Bible say? Also, remember the letters in the book of Revelation concerning the seven churches. The church at Laeodicea was accused of having left its first love. Churches are comprised of humans - saved perhaps - but humans nevertheless. That means that even if an early church instituted such a holiday that does not necessarily mean that God approved. The Bible is our source for truth - not the early church after the Scriptures were written.

 

Jesus told us to remember his death until He returns. That is all.

 

Thank you for your post!

[Kathleen in VA]

I understand what you have said and commend you for your passion and faithfulness to God's word.

 

However, for me, I just don't believe you can "accidentally" worship a false God. Bible time people KNEW what they were doing when they mixed with pegan religions and actually started to worship pagan Gods. I grew up having NO IDEA that some of our fun family activites had their roots in ancient paganism. Does that mean that I was worshiping pagan gods my whole life? ( I know you didn't say that, just posing the question.) I think - No. Now, these things such as easter eggs and baskets are simply part of our culture, they have no religious meaning what so ever to anyone we know. They are just fun things to do. We make a big deal of focusing on Christ at Easter and Christmas, but also carry on the fun family activites that I grew up with. I have no fear of easter eggs or baskets turning my family into pagan idol worshipers some day. I just don't. I respect your position but I just don't see it the same way.

 

I did not mean to say that celebrating Easter means you are worshipping Satan. I only meant that out of zeal to honor Christ by celebrating His resurrection, which I understand to a degree because that is how I was raised, it is possible to do something not altogether Biblical. Obviously, worshipping a pagan goddess is different than trying to sincerely worship Christ. It's just that the celebration itself is a mixture of truth and untruth and I really don't think God is pleased with it.

 

In II Samuel 6 David brought the ark of the Lord back on a cart instead of using the two poles that God had designated for that task. When the cart was upset, Uzzah, very sincerely and no doubt in an effort to be helpful, reached out and touched the ark to keep it from falling. God struck him dead. It goes on to say that David wasn't very happy with God about the incident. But later, he moved the ark again, this time doing it God's way according to the Scripture - using the poles and allowing only the priests to perform the act. That time God was pleased.

 

We may in our zeal and with a true desire to worship the true God, like Uzzah, do something that does not please Him simply because we are not doing it His way. David learned that and when he understood it completely he changed his attitude and his actions and did it God's way.

 

All I'm saying is it is possible to displease God even when we think we are doing the right thing. God has made His will clear in His word. It is no mystery - God is not capricious. Uzzah knew when he touched the ark it was the wrong thing to do.

 

Each of us must search the scriptures and find out what God wants. David did that, realized his error and behaved differently from then on. That's all I'm saying. Instead of us just doing things because we've always done things that way, or because it is fun or makes us feel good, or whatever, we should be striving to find out what God wants and strive to please Him alone.