"Christians should have nothing to do with the pagan worship of Eastres or the celebration of her worship!" "Those who worship at sunrise are following the practices of pagans who worship the sun, and they will be judged by God!" This is the kind of e-mail that I am used to opening on the subject of Easter. No other holiday solicits as much venom, in my experience, as Easter.
By all means, if you believe that God does not want you to celebrate Easter, follow His leading. He leads each of us personally through this journey called life. The Bible doesn't say that you must celebrate it. But if you are confused, or just interested, you might want to consider another view.
It is true that some of our traditional Easter celebration comes from pagan origins. (See Easter History and Traditions), Other traditions of life come from ungodly sources as well. Blessing a sneezer, giving a birthday gift, even the name of the day of the week in English--these all have unsavory roots. It is good to know the origins of the customs you practice, so you aren't easily swayed. But following pagans down a rabbit trail can get you stuck in a dark hole.
In the celebration of Easter, focusing on pagan beliefs and customs is especially counterproductive. The holiday lends itself so easily to sharing the gospel of Jesus. Opportunities like this don't come along every day. When one does, using it as your soapbox to denounce paganism seems pointless --arrogant, even.
Sometimes it takes an act of will to guard your mouth from spouting off everything that you know, especially around those who obviously don't know what you do. But you must ask yourself what is more important to you... that you convince someone of your superior knowledge, or that you share the love of Jesus?
The apostle Paul said, "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. " (1 Corinthians 2:2, NIV) And Paul knew a thing or two.
Do you know anyone who worships Eastres or Tammuz? I don't. But I do know a lot of people who otherwise won't give Jesus a second thought who pause at Easter time to remember the sacrifice He made for us. I've met people who are open to discussing the significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus at Easter time. I won't trade that opportunity for a discussion about bunnies and colored eggs.
When God led the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, He allowed them to take the spoils of the Egyptians. When He gave victory to the armies of Jehoshaphat without even a fight, He allowed them to joyfully take the spoils of war. The spoils of the wicked belong to the righteous, if God gives them into our hands. We can claim Easter as our own. We can redeem it, set the day apart, and make it holy. If you choose to make it so, Easter can be a day to remember and to share the resurrection of our Lord. What a shame it would be to lose that.
Copyrighted 1998, 2008, Kathryn A. Frazier. Contact author for reprint information.
