Apr
7
Written by:
HeartlandBaptist
4/7/2011 3:42 PM
Why do most of two billion Christians celebrate Easter each year? This Christian holy day brings a mix of wonderful customs and traditions all around the world. The English and Irish often have hot cross buns for breakfast. It is custom in some parts of Eastern Europe to make Easter bread, allowing the children to see the bread rise as it bakes. In Mexico, Semana Santa (Latin for Great Week), is filled with communities putting on plays, depicting events in the life of Jesus leading up to Easter. Those of Scandinavian descent may observe an Easter brunch with cured salmon and potatoes. In the Mediterranean, giant family reunions are common to visit the family church. And most of us who grew up in America can remember getting a new outfit to wear on Easter. And all over the world, there’s the famous Easter egg, decorated and hid for children to find, because it teaches the Trinity or the empty tomb.
But what’s behind the festivities and family get togethers? What still causes church attendance to hit record numbers on Easter Sunday? Why does even a wayward believer often make his or her way back to the family church or give thought to their faith? It’s because the belief that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning is not only a core belief in Christianity but in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) it was the final proof for those following Christ that Jesus was who He said He was.
But to Christians, it is still more than just an event. There are many events described in the Christian Scriptures, but my mom never bought me new Sunday shoes to celebrate “Jesus rebuked the Pharisee day”. So what is it about celebrating Easter that brings such positive thoughts to someone who holds the Christian faith?
I have two master’s degrees in religious studies and have studied all the world’s religions and while many teach good morals and ethics and even have tenants concerning an afterlife, none have such a specific event concerning victory over death. When a Christian thinks about what Easter means, that morning was the conclusion of all that Christ did. He had came to earth to live amongst men, resisted the devil, kept Himself from sin, helped others, healed the sick but if the story ended with Him on the cross, we would be singing “Only the good die young”. And frankly, we all struggle with being good and none of us want to die. But when a Christian thinks that Christ then rose from the dead, it begins to all make sense for we see the end game. Even a non-Christian enjoys thinking about perhaps going to heaven after this life.
Now I realize that not all reading this are followers of the Christian faith but I hope this short article may help explain Easter a bit. And in fact, I want to thank those of other religious beliefs for your kind words to me as I have wrote about moral issues in our community this past year. The many encouraging comments even from those who differ with me on “faith” but also see the benefits of having a virtuous community have been a blessing to me. And so to you and to Ames, my adopted city, I want to wish you a Happy Easter. May it bring hope!
Rev. R. A. Abell
Senior Pastor
Heartland Baptist Church