Is “Easter” Controversial?
Happy good Friday! Easter is coming up and being a mom on Easter this year for the first time has got me thinking about the holiday in a way I never have before.
In a sermon I heard recently, the pastor only referred to this upcoming Sunday as Resurrection Sunday; he never referenced Easter, or eggs, or egg hunts, or anything outside of the death and resurrection of Christ.
So what did I do? I started researching! I had tons of questions about where the word Easter came from, why we do egg hunts, why we have an Easter bunny, and what any of this has to do with the resurrection! I was also concerned about the amount of Easter related content I see on social media from accounts that are not run by Christians!
People that don’t believe in the death and resurrection of Christ still participate in egg decorating and egg hunts!
How are we as Christians set apart, then, if we participate in the same things that non-believers participate in? How are we raising our children to put God first in their lives when we allow fun things to overshadow Christ?
Here is what I learned when I started asking the right questions!
The word Easter is found no where in the Bible. In fact, it comes from the name of Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring Eostre. This Germanic goddess also called Ostara was believed to be the goddess of dawn, spring and fertility. This is why Easter is associated with symbols of bunnies and eggs! The name Eostre is linked with English words east and dawn to represent new beginnings and new life.
So then why do we call Resurrection Sunday Easter? Why do we reference a false god when we claim to be celebrating Jesus Christ’s victory over death and grave?
This act of taking over a holiday is pretty common with early Christian conversionists, though. Researching Easter reminded me of when I researched all saints day and all souls day in reference to the Hispanic holiday day of the dead. The Catholic Church rebranded that pagan holiday, so that converting the native tribes to Christianity would be easier. My question is, though, is re-branding a holiday compromising our beliefs?
The death and resurrection of Jesus does bring new life to Christians because His sacrifice extends grace and mercy to cover our sins so that we can go to heaven. So Christians, Christ followers, have new life in Jesus. This new life can creatively and maybe innocently be represented by eggs and rabbits in springtime because they too represent new life.
The problem I still have as a parent is not wanting those fun things to outshine the true meaning of what we are celebrating! I don’t want my children to be encouraged to be more excited about finding a hidden egg than they are about the saving grace of Jesus Christ!
This brought out even more questions that I couldn’t answer so easily. Why do we feel the need to have something “fun” in addition to the celebration of a restored relationship with God the Father through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and victory over death? Why isn’t being excited about getting to go to heaven enough? Why do we need the extras? And why is no one else talking about this?
As Christians, we are called to be set apart. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV) As a Sunday school teacher I have used the eggs to tell the story of Jesus’s death and resurrection! But is this Easter imagery harmful or can it be a helpful tool for reaching new believers?
How do you feel about nonbelievers participating in Easter? How do you feel about believers participating in Easter? Do you celebrate “Easter” with eggs and bunnies or do you celebrate Resurrection Sunday without the “extras”? Or do you think this entire discussion is a non-issue?
