When I was a pastor back in 2004, our church considered having an Easter egg hunt. I was asked by some church members if we would do one or not. Some congregation members told me that they did not the year before because it quote "would confuse the children about the true meaning of Easter". After thinking about it, we decided to take that risk and have one. I remember it very well because it was the first of many fights with one particular family. We had 17 children at that event that day. I remember my son, who was four at the time, found the most eggs that day. We read the resurrection story to them out of the Bible, decorated eggs and did an Easter egg hunt. Miracle of miracles, nobody seemed very confused at the end of the day.
It does make you think though, why the world would celebrate Easter with a bunny instead of an open tomb. That family did have a point to make, even though they lacked the grace to make their point very well. It is that Easter is of first importance for the christian. Paul said it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 "For I delivered to you as of first imporance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scripture and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures." To lose sight of the imporance of what Christ did on this week is to lose the essence of who christians are and what Christ did. It is the very fabric of of our faith and without it the life of Christ is simply a very tragic story.
Does the Easter Bunny confuse the issue? It does seem that the secular world enjoys taking what are christian holidays and trying to make them about something else. Instead of the christ child coming at Christmas we have Santa and instead of the death and resurrection of Jesus we have the Easter Bunny and candy. If that is the focus you want for you family it can become something that is all about gifts and sales and candy and self. But, that is the danger everyday. Being selfish and forgetting about Christ is something that is possible any day of the week. I think if all you need is a bunny and some candy to get your eyes off Christ then your focus wasn't very strong to begin with.
"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus Christ." Luke 24:1-3, NASV
It does make you think though, why the world would celebrate Easter with a bunny instead of an open tomb. That family did have a point to make, even though they lacked the grace to make their point very well. It is that Easter is of first importance for the christian. Paul said it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 "For I delivered to you as of first imporance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scripture and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures." To lose sight of the imporance of what Christ did on this week is to lose the essence of who christians are and what Christ did. It is the very fabric of of our faith and without it the life of Christ is simply a very tragic story.
Does the Easter Bunny confuse the issue? It does seem that the secular world enjoys taking what are christian holidays and trying to make them about something else. Instead of the christ child coming at Christmas we have Santa and instead of the death and resurrection of Jesus we have the Easter Bunny and candy. If that is the focus you want for you family it can become something that is all about gifts and sales and candy and self. But, that is the danger everyday. Being selfish and forgetting about Christ is something that is possible any day of the week. I think if all you need is a bunny and some candy to get your eyes off Christ then your focus wasn't very strong to begin with.
"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus Christ." Luke 24:1-3, NASV
