This past week I was directed to a news headline that used a term I had not heard used before. It was “Easter Worshipers.” I did not know what to make of it at first. I thought, “Who are these Easter Worshipers? Are they people who worship an Easter Bunny? I am referring to that bunny who wears a bow tie and hides colored eggs for children to find and put into wicker baskets filled with fake grass. I thought, are Easter Worshipers people who decorate their homes with yellow chicks, dye hard boiled eggs and dress up in spring colors for family pictures while they search for the Easter Bunny’s eggs in their yard on a Sunday in the Spring? Is that an Easter Worshiper?
As I read on I came to understand that the reference was meant to describe a group of Christians who were worshiping or planning to worship on the holiday the world calls Easter. I then searched the usage of this term and saw how for a few years the news media has used it to describe “Evangelicals.” This morning I read about a large group of Christians who lost their lives in a horrific accident on their way to worship during this Easter holiday. In this account, the news media called them “Pilgrims.”
Each article reported about the same group of people from different places in the world. As I read I was a little perplexed asking, why would various news agencies and reporters not use the term “Christians.” The articles clearly identified people as those who worship during the Easter holiday. Then it hit me. The media either does not understand what they are stating when they call a group of people “Easter Worshipers” or they are purposely avoiding the term Christians.
In looking at the history of Easter I read on britannica.com that Easter has its roots in an ancient pagan celebration of Spring. Pagans in Europe and Asia Minor held festivities around the spring equinox to celebrate new life and fertility. The name Easter does not come from Christianity. It is possible that it is connected to the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre associated with Spring and dawn.
As Christianity spread throughout the world and Christians celebrated Jesus’ resurrection the timing of the holiday Easter often coincided with the Jewish holiday of Passover in the Spring. The Council of Nicaea in 325 declared that Easter should be observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox (March 21). This resulted in the church celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on that Sunday which could fall between March 22 and April 25.
With all of this in mind, I return to why I am writing this article. The news media is in error to call Christians, “Easter Worshipers.” Christians worship the one and only, true God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:5-6; Revelation 4:11) who is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 8:5-6). We worship Him because He created us for His glory. We worship Him because of what He has done for us.
After God created the universe and He created mankind, there is a tragic day that happened known as the Fall (Genesis 3). On that day, mankind sinned against God bringing sin and death to all who have been born into this world. God is completely Holy and Just and therefore must punish sin. The Bible tells us the sentence for sin is eternal death. (Romans 3:23; 6:23).
God in His great love and mercy gave Himself to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21; Ephesians 2:45). He showed His grace to sinners by dying in their place for their sins. Instead of us dying for our own sins, Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross that was meant for us. As He hung there, He bore the sins of His people and shed His blood, which is sufficient to save. (1 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 10).
After His death, two men took His body and buried it in a tomb. On the third day, it was witnessed that the tomb was empty. Angels appeared and declared that Jesus rose from death to life. (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20) Jesus conquered the grave bringing hope to sinners who were facing death. Jesus declared over two thousand years ago, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
Jesus said to a woman named Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Martha rightly responded by saying, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” (John 11:25-27) I pray that you have or you will respond to Jesus, the only true God who has made a way for you to be saved, by repenting of your sins and believing in Jesus Christ as Lord.
Being that this weekend is the world’s holiday called Easter, I want to encourage you if you are a Christian to no longer say “Happy Easter” or give greetings cards declaring “Happy Easter.” Let us say with great joy, “He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!” Let us declare to the world that this is not a Day on the calendar in which we worship Jesus. Instead let us be known for worshiping the risen Lord every day of our life as followers of Jesus.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Pastor Paul
Excellent! Thanks Paul.
Wonderful reading pastor Paul thank you