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Friday, April 22, 2011

WHAT'S IN YOUR EASTER BASKET? (Freelance Friday)

I love Easter. It celebrates the day my Lord proved His power over death. It represents second chances (and 102nd chances). It represents my assurance that I will spend eternity with Jesus.

I also love Easter because I was born on Easter Sunday. Easter brought literal new life to me. Easter hops along the calendar from year to year, almost never landing on the same date twice. Without getting technical, I'll just say that I'll never have another birthday on Easter Sunday again.

But I still love the holiday. Yes, I agree that Easter has become a commercialization of one of our most sacred holy days. But that doesn’t mean those commercialized symbols still don’t mean something beneath the flash and glitzy packaging. So think about three of our top Easter symbols: Easter eggs, jellybeans and chocolate bunnies. 

  • Eggs, because they represent new life. Hard boiled like us.

  • Jellybeans, tiny eggs, also represent new life. And like us, they've got a hard shell on the outside and a heart of jelly inside.

  • Bunnies, with their propensity to multiply also represent new life.  Chocolate outside represents our darkness; I don’t need to even comment on how the air-filled emptiness inside is like us.

In spite of commercialization, I think Jesus would love the colored eggs and jellybeans and chocolate bunnies. Would He love the goofy guy dressed up in the fake fur bunny suit and oversized pants, passing candy to the little kiddies? Yes, Jesus would love him, too. Because that's the main point of Easter.

Jesus' unwavering love for us. Unexplainable outside of His love.

So bring on the colored eggs, the jellybeans and the chocolate bunnies. Even bring on the goofy guy in the fake fur suit and oversized pants. Bring it all on. Because however we celebrate it or whether other people "get it," Easter is for everyone.

And hopefully, one day everyone will understand.

PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for the cross. Thank you for then proving your power over death. And thank you for the new life we have in you. Amen.

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Do you have special celebrations that your family uses to observe Easter? What does the holiday mean to you?

2 comments:

Pam B. said...

I love Easter. After the cold and gray of the winter, I am so ready for spring. The blue skies and the occasional rainshowers feel so good--fresh and energized. My backyard is so pretty with new growth. I am thankful to be reminded of God's blessed assurance. He makes all things new, even me! He is risen!

From Carols Quill said...

@Pam - He is risen indeed!