Welcome back! Thanks for stopping by! Today I want to talk about the Easter holiday. What does Easter mean to you?
Here are some things I have experienced during the Easter holiday:
- Colorful Easter eggs
- Coloring eggs with food dye
- Eating lots of hard-boiled eggs, some with color stains
- Bunny rabbits
- Peter Rabbit / Peter Cottontail
- The “Hippety Hoppety” song
- Easter egg hunts
- Easter baskets filled with chocolate and other goodies
- Colorful Peeps marshmallow treats
- Good Friday
- Resurrection Sunday
- He is Risen
Can you see that I saved the best for last?
The bible talks about Easter, and Palm Sunday (the week before Easter) and the day we call Good Friday, which is GOOD because it is the day when Jesus died for our sins, giving us hope of Salvation. So, if that is the true meaning of Easter, then where did the Easter Bunny and his eggs come from, and why is that celebrated more than the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
Well, bottom line is that we live in a pagan society. That is a fact. Unfortunately, because we live in a pagan society, there will always be traditions that try to overshadow the true meaning of Christian holidays, like Christmas… Everyone knows the birth of Jesus becomes forgotten as society focuses more on Santa Clause and how many gifts will be under the Christmas tree!
I digress… I am not here to talk about how we have lost sight of our purpose…
Today, I want to know, “What does Easter mean to you?”
Some of you may have never heard of Jesus or the fact that He died and rose again. Well, if you follow my blogs, connect with my website, LIKE my GFI.2011 Facebook page, or visit me at my church Faithful and True Christian Ministries where Pastor William Eakins will teach you until you get it, you will learn all about Jesus and the sacrifice He made to save YOU!
So, where did this notion of Peter Cottontail come from? Well, I did a little research and I learned that at some point, people considered that rabbits make a LOT of babies, and they used that as a symbol of creating new life. When German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania in the 18th century, they brought with them the tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws” and the children would make nests for the hare to lay its colorful eggs. Other research mentioned the pagan festival of Eostre (Ostara) – a goddess of fertility whose animal symbol was a bunny. I already mentioned that rabbits make a lot of babies, so the bunny has traditionally symbolized fertility.
Of course, the idea of getting presents like an Easter basket will be more exciting than the resurrection of a Savior in a world that is lost in itself. However, true Christians know the true value of Easter and we look forward to the day when WE can RISE AGAIN to be with our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
If you want to learn more about Jesus and how He came back to life on Easter day, stop by Faithful and True Christian Ministries Easter Sunday morning at 10 or 11 am – 6760 Tussing Road, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068. I hope to see you there!
Until we meet again, I pray blessings for your life!
Glorified Fitness Inc 