04.12.09
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Today is more commonly known as “Easter,” however as Christians, my family and I refer to this day as Resurrection Sunday. Like Christmas, the holiday commonly called Easter is a fusion of beliefs and ideas. For instance, people often associate Christmas with St. Nicholas and Christmas trees along with Jesus’s birth, when in fact, St. Nick, Christmas trees, and the birth of Jesus are not commemorating the same thing. As such, “Easter” and the famed “Easter bunny,” have separate origins from what we celebrate as Resurrection Sunday. Easter, from what I understand, originated from a pagan celebration of a fertility goddess, Eoster. Rabbits and eggs symbolized fertility. I believe the Jews celebrate passover around this time, also. But on this day, we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, not the goddess of Easter, or the symbols of fertility (eggs and rabbits).
Some Christians believe that Resurrection Sunday should be a bigger holiday than Christmas because while it’s true that Jesus had to be born a man, if he were not risen, then his earthly birth would not have mattered much. The Bible explains this to us in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.
” Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
Paul pretty much summed it up for the Corinthians (and us) that our hope as Christians hinge upon the fact that Jesus died and rose from the dead. If Jesus “didn’t” rise from the dead, then all our beliefs and hopes for the next life are false or useless because without the resurrection of Jesus, we would still be in our sins (Jesus died for our sins), AND if Jesus wasn’t raised, then once the dead died, they remained dead. This is literal, not figurative as we believe the Bible tells us Jesus rose “physically.” So this day, Resurrection Sunday, marks a “huge” event for us Christians, which sadly gets mixed up with rabbits and eggs, which has nothing to do with Jesus’s resurrection or our future hope in eternal life with God.
So, I’m off to enjoy this day! Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Marlakins
