Bonnie Alba
Easter Bunny happily hops - - Christians walk with hope
By Bonnie Alba
Is Easter just another holiday to you? Around the globe, Christians will celebrate Easter Sunday as "Happy Resurrection Day." Rituals and rites will be enacted throughout Christendom as one of the most important remembrances of why we call ourselves Christian.
Americans have developed many customs and traditions to accompany Easter celebration. Families gather to color and decorate hardboiled eggs; then the children are distracted as the "Easter Bunny" hides the eggs for them to find. The whole family and friends may grill their first barbecue of the season, along with mom's potato salad and deviled eggs. Though some do not attend church regularly, they may attend an Easter sunrise service. Suffice to say, events and participation vary across the range of post-modern society.
A 1940s song, "Easter Parade," recalls the rise of holiday consumerism in America. Mothers would sew or buy new outfits for the girls, white shirts and ties for boys, wearing their very best dress-up for Easter Sunday church. Along with egg hunts, add the cuddly stuffed rabbits and lambs, colorful easter baskets and chocolate goodies. Fun for the whole family which continues to this day.
Jesus turned the world upside down
Almost 2000 years ago, a Jewish man called Jesus of Nazareth spent three short years ministering in a small area of the world, relatively speaking. He taught in the synagogues, the streets, the valleys and on the mountaintops. He healed the sick, raised some from the dead, and had power over demons. He experienced all the temptations of flesh and blood life in this world, yet resisted Satan's enticements to sin. He was sinless. Most importantly he could see into men's hearts. The Son of Man turned the world upside down.
The impact of Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion," still reverberates in the hearts of the millions who viewed this film. It brought home to believers, even nonbelievers, the agony, suffering and pain to which Jesus willingly submitted himself. His death was accompanied by an earthquake, darkness, and for one split second in time, the heavens fell silent, and Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Who in watching this film did not cringe, almost feeling the pain each time his body was slashed and blood flowed? Who did not root for him when the Roman soldiers mocked him? Who did not bow their heads watching him struggle with the cross? Who did not feel the thirst, the stretching of skin and bones upon the cross? The pain, the agony of waiting for death?
Do Christians celebrate the pain and agony?
Jesus' death on the Cross was where he paid the penalty for the sins of mankind, but that was not the end. It was the "after" events that sealed the future for mankind.
After his death, Jesus was taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb. Sunday morning, the tomb was discovered empty. Over the next 40 days, Jesus was seen and touched by his disciples and many others; he ate with his disciples and reportedly was seen by over 500 people. After his final instructions to his disciples, they witnessed Jesus ascending into Heaven.
The Trail Less Traveled
Remember the song "Peter Cottontail" ... "Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail, hippity hoppity, Easter's on its way." The popular greeting during this season became "Happy Easter."
But for Christians, on Easter Sunday, the day of the empty tomb, many church congregations will greet each other with "Happy Resurrection Day."
Not all Christians comprehend the depth and width and height of those three little words. They encompass God's creation, mankind, the world and universe — past, present and future. On this day, Christians may, in full confidence and faith, joyfully greet each other.
While Peter happily hops down his bunny trail, Christians walk the less traveled trail in hope and faith knowing they are never alone. They are accompanied by Jesus Himself, a relationship which is 24/7, not a religion. Believers walking the less traveled trail know "... Christ (is) in you, the Hope of glory." They know the trail's end is eternity with God.
Happy Resurrection Day!
© Bonnie Alba
April 7, 2012
Is Easter just another holiday to you? Around the globe, Christians will celebrate Easter Sunday as "Happy Resurrection Day." Rituals and rites will be enacted throughout Christendom as one of the most important remembrances of why we call ourselves Christian.
Americans have developed many customs and traditions to accompany Easter celebration. Families gather to color and decorate hardboiled eggs; then the children are distracted as the "Easter Bunny" hides the eggs for them to find. The whole family and friends may grill their first barbecue of the season, along with mom's potato salad and deviled eggs. Though some do not attend church regularly, they may attend an Easter sunrise service. Suffice to say, events and participation vary across the range of post-modern society.
A 1940s song, "Easter Parade," recalls the rise of holiday consumerism in America. Mothers would sew or buy new outfits for the girls, white shirts and ties for boys, wearing their very best dress-up for Easter Sunday church. Along with egg hunts, add the cuddly stuffed rabbits and lambs, colorful easter baskets and chocolate goodies. Fun for the whole family which continues to this day.
Jesus turned the world upside down
Almost 2000 years ago, a Jewish man called Jesus of Nazareth spent three short years ministering in a small area of the world, relatively speaking. He taught in the synagogues, the streets, the valleys and on the mountaintops. He healed the sick, raised some from the dead, and had power over demons. He experienced all the temptations of flesh and blood life in this world, yet resisted Satan's enticements to sin. He was sinless. Most importantly he could see into men's hearts. The Son of Man turned the world upside down.
The impact of Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion," still reverberates in the hearts of the millions who viewed this film. It brought home to believers, even nonbelievers, the agony, suffering and pain to which Jesus willingly submitted himself. His death was accompanied by an earthquake, darkness, and for one split second in time, the heavens fell silent, and Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Who in watching this film did not cringe, almost feeling the pain each time his body was slashed and blood flowed? Who did not root for him when the Roman soldiers mocked him? Who did not bow their heads watching him struggle with the cross? Who did not feel the thirst, the stretching of skin and bones upon the cross? The pain, the agony of waiting for death?
Do Christians celebrate the pain and agony?
Jesus' death on the Cross was where he paid the penalty for the sins of mankind, but that was not the end. It was the "after" events that sealed the future for mankind.
After his death, Jesus was taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb. Sunday morning, the tomb was discovered empty. Over the next 40 days, Jesus was seen and touched by his disciples and many others; he ate with his disciples and reportedly was seen by over 500 people. After his final instructions to his disciples, they witnessed Jesus ascending into Heaven.
The Trail Less Traveled
Remember the song "Peter Cottontail" ... "Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail, hippity hoppity, Easter's on its way." The popular greeting during this season became "Happy Easter."
But for Christians, on Easter Sunday, the day of the empty tomb, many church congregations will greet each other with "Happy Resurrection Day."
Not all Christians comprehend the depth and width and height of those three little words. They encompass God's creation, mankind, the world and universe — past, present and future. On this day, Christians may, in full confidence and faith, joyfully greet each other.
While Peter happily hops down his bunny trail, Christians walk the less traveled trail in hope and faith knowing they are never alone. They are accompanied by Jesus Himself, a relationship which is 24/7, not a religion. Believers walking the less traveled trail know "... Christ (is) in you, the Hope of glory." They know the trail's end is eternity with God.
Happy Resurrection Day!
© Bonnie Alba
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(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
