RESURRECTION (EASTER) SUNDAY
LIKE CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT JESUS CGRIST
I know popular culture likes the term Easter and I use that word also sometimes but really prefer using Resurrection Sunday. I don't have any objection to holding Easter egg hunts for children but also believe they should be told the true significance of the day at a very early age. Sadly, I came to this mindset a very few years ago, long after my children were grown and most of my grandchildren also grown. I belong to 3 churches, all of which allow the little ones to have fun while also teaching them the meaning of the day.
Easter is not about a bunny just as Christmas isn't about Santa Claus but I don't see any harm in observing some of the secular traditions along with the spiritual meaning. Christmas gifts are Biblical, remember the wise men brought gifts to Jesus to celebrate His birth. Jesus also taught that it is better to give than to receive so giving gifts at Christmas seems appropriate if done in moderation and with a proper acknowledgement to the true meaning of Christmas as hunting eggs on Easter while honoring the significance of Easter.
I have heard people rail about Christmas saying it is a pagan holiday but I don't buy into that. I don't know on what date Jesus was born nor do I know on what dates He died and rose from the grave but I believe observing the events with honor and respect is what is important, not whether the dates are exactly right or not. People who get hung up on dates are missing the importance of observing the meaning of the events. I don't know if December 25 was once a pagan holiday or not and don't care because I know what it is to me, and the same with Resurrection Sunday.
There have been people try to convince me that Jesus was crucified on the Thursday before, not on Good Friday, claiming "otheir research" says it was Thursday. I have one pastor with a PhD in Theology and another with a Master's Degree and their beliefs hold a lot more water than someone who has "done their own research". From what I read in the Bible and what my pastors teach I believe Good Friday is correct and will believe it until God tells me different or I find a whole bunch of Bible Scholars who can convince me otherwise.
Just exactly which day what happens isn't important enough for me to spend a lot of time arguing about it so I will believe what I believe and let others pick which days they want to believe. The important thing to me is to acknowledge the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus and to celebrate them in the proper spirit.
I submit this in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, the Father, Son Jesus, and the Holy Ghost, in faith, with the responsibility given to me by Almighty God to honor His work and not let it die from neglect.
Bob Russell
Claremore, Oklahoma
April 4, 2021
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