Yet year after year we see people who call themselves Christian not only succumb to "Easter traditions" but actively promote them. Churches promote and provide Easter Egg hunts, Easter baskets and so forth at the same time that thousands of people make either their own or one of perhaps two or three visits to a church.
Rather than chance offending them, these so-called Christians all too often put forth some bit of fluff designed to not offend anyone.
If, indeed, the churches believe the truth of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that the purpose of it was redemption from sin, and they have the opportunity to help people, why would they not?
When you have one or two chances per year to talk to people about their eternal destiny if they continue to waste it, do you genuinely care about people?
I get annoyed by the vast quantities of advertising for Easter meals, clothes, and paraphernalia. But I must admit, at least the sellers know a good opportunity when they see it and take advantage of it.
Churches, by contrast, advertise stuff that helps the stores sell eggs, paint, candy and so forth.
Nice work, churches. Way to celebrate paganism while stabbing your Lord in the back. And people wonder why the country is in decay.
4 comments:
I have to tell you - we saw a chocolate cross at Borders last week, and I just about gagged.
My little brood likes to refer to Easter as "Zombie Jesus Day" (we even wrote a song.... but I digress). They had enough of organized religion as children and now have - wait for it.... the ability to think logically, be good people and look past rhetoric. The idea of "I can do anything because I will be forgiven on Sunday" doesn't fly here.
We go buy half off peeps and threaten to microwave them.
RK, I would have to agree. Never really understood the chocolate cross thing. Obviously made and purchased by people with no comprehension of what the story of the cross is really about. On the bright side, it IS chocolate...
PG, sorry to hear they were soured by some of the negative parties. It is unfortunate that the teachings of Scripture, notably the Fruit of the Spirit.."love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control" have been twisted by nefarious individuals into something twisted that leaves a bad taste in the mouth of many people.
And indeed, the Scripture does say, in Romans, "Are we to consider in sin that grace might increase? May it never be!" and goes on to speak about the need to live a new life. Too many people who never did understand what God is about twisted that into something evil and wrong.
The point is supposed to be Christ rising from the dead. And He would not be doing so unless He first died for us. What a good God we serve!
I don't see any harm in an annual celebration of the resurrection of Christ. I do see many good things about it. It's true that we need not partake in the world's activities. There's no harm in doing so if those things are not tainted with sin.
But we definitely need to make a distinction between the things of God and the things of this world! If there’s a chance that an observer, or even our own selves, might mingle God with wickedness, then we need to reconsider. If our goal might be accomplished in a different way that avoids this risk then it would be good to go that way.
We also need to do things with reverence for Him, certainly not with a mere afterthought of God. He is holy, holy, holy!
In agreement with your after comments here Andrew, the real message of Christ has never been to sin now and ask forgiveness later. In fact if one is to really consider a celebration of Christ's resurrection they ought to also consider their own resurrection from death. And if they do not have that resurrection to look forward to, then I pray they will find forgiveness and life in Christ while there is still time to find Him.
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