Easter

Easter.  Here we are, Holy Week.  Lent.  Good Friday.  Easter Sunday.  This is a big observance and celebration in the lives of Christians.

This week in the press and online anywhere, one has been inundated by the U.S. Supreme Court hearings regarding same-sex marriages.  Oh, my, to read Facebook this week!  So many Christians are throwing this Bible verse and that Bible verse, like volleys in a tennis match. 

This afternoon I was reading something about the connection between Easter baskets and Easter (as in: He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah!)  I decided to Wiki Easter basket history, which then led me to Easter egg.  Wiki says that Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus.

What??!  No they do not.  Not in my book.  In my book, an Easter egg symbolizes:

1. Not mowing the lawn till after Easter.  That is a rule.  Because Competition (#2) is greater when the grass is longer.  Yep.    
2. Competition.  Again, my family is nothing if not competitive.  A hunt is a hunt.  Let the best man (fastest) win!
3.  Art.  Let's dye and paint and create.  Woo-hoo!  Such pretty eggs in our refrigerator!
4.   Post-hunt: Egg Salad Sandwiches.  Yippee!

In my world, there is absolutely no connection between Christ's death on the cross, which is very serious and spiritual, and dyed Easter eggs and decorated Easter baskets.

I think Easter egg hunts came about because, if you have ducks, anyway, this is the time of year you can walk out into the yard or the pasture or the ditch or the barn or the garden or the side of the road or the duck house, and Lo and Behold, there is an egg!  Every morning is an egg hunt this time of year.  This is how we celebrate spring, and the longer hours of sunlight.  More sunlight = more egg production.  It's duck-and-chicken culture.  God gives us nature and seasons.  God does not expect us to try to equate an errant egg-lay with the birth of Christ.  Sheesh.

In my Biblical search, I see nothing about Easter eggs, baskets, bunnies (Oh, please don't get me started on this one...reference some past year of Easter tide in this blog instead.).  And lawns were non-existent, so that's a non sequiter.

Let us acknowledge that Easter egg hunts and Christian Resurrection are two  completely different celebration.  And - yes!  We can celebrate both.  But please, don't try to dovetail one celebration into the other.  One is religious, and one is a celebration of Spring. 

My youngest older brother and I were talking this morning.  I mentioned that I enjoy a quiet, prayerful vesper-type service for Easter.  He countered that his pastor or bishop, I forget which, spoke last week that given that Easter is the time of the year which many non-church-goers attend a church service, he (the pastor or bishop) thought that the service should be one that might welcome and interest (wow - I am really paraphrasing the paraphraser at this point.) the newcomer/C-and-E (Christmas and Easter) Clubber.  I can't agree with this thinking.  I think Easter is a celebration that  all Christians should attend in heart and soul.  I don't think this is a weekend to try and attract new members to the church.

Oh, and back to the Supreme Court?  Who is as wise (or wiser) as King Solomon?  I do not have answers. 

* Sigh *

I guess this weekend I will say my prayers and know that God hears them. 
And that's a happy thing!