EASTER?
by Jim Kaness

Easter eggs, bunny rabbits and candy as well as special church services with special music and larger attendance are all part of Easter in 21st century America. But, where did they come from and what do they all mean?

To begin with, our American Easter is really two intermingled parallel celebrations: (1) The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and (2) the end of winter and the beginning of springtime.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, sometime about the year 30AD, is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Throughout history various prophets have proclaimed their messages and eventually died. On Friday before the start of the Jewish Sabbath Jesus gave up His spirit before His body could die from its wounds. For about three hours the Sun went dark and the curtain of the Temple was torn in two parts. (Only the high priest was permitted to pass beyond this curtain once each year [Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7] to enter God's presence for all of Israel and make atonement for their sins [Leviticus 16]. The death of Jesus made this curtain and its purpose 'overtaken by events'. When His followers came to the borrowed tomb on the following Sunday they found it empty! [Luke 23:26-24:8] In the days following, Jesus appeared to over 500 people and later His followers watched as He bodily rose from this Earth and went back to Heaven. These events are well documented by His followers and others. [1 Corinthians 15:1-11]

One part of the 'Easter confusion' is the date we celebrate Easter. The Bible is silent about the date that Christ was crucified, buried and rose again to life. From the Wikipedia article on Easter we learn that "Easter and its related holidays are moveable feasts, not falling on a fixed date; its date is computed based on a lunisolar calendar (solar year plus Moon phase) similar to the Hebrew calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established only two rules, namely independence from the Hebrew calendar and worldwide uniformity. No details for the computation were specified; these were worked out in practice, a process that took centuries and generated a number of controversies. It has come to be the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March.[12] Even if calculated on the basis of the more accurate Gregorian calendar, the date of that full moon sometimes differs from that of the astronomical first full moon after the March equinox.[13]"

After months of cold weather and snow it is understandable that we should welcome the coming of springtime with its warm sunny weather and its profusion of flowers and new growth. Again from the Wikipedia article on Easter we learn that "Easter customs vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services, midnight vigils, exclamations and exchanges of Paschal greetings, clipping the church (England),[17] decoration and the communal breaking of Easter eggs (a symbol of the empty tomb).[18][19][20] The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection in Western Christianity,[21][22] traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Eastertide.[23] Additional customs that have become associated with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include Easter parades, communal dancing (Eastern Europe), the Easter Bunny and egg hunting.[24][25][26][27][28] There are also traditional Easter foods that vary by region and culture."

Our family will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whatever your family celebrates, do enjoy the holiday.