Life,  Theology

The Easter Bunny?

I saw something new this week. Maybe someone is wising up to the real meaning of Easter or maybe someone is wising up to yet another way to make a buck. While strolling through the Easter section at Walmart, I saw a packaged chocolate…cross. Yes, now you can actually eat a replica of the cross that killed the Son of God. If you choose to go that route, you should probably avoid images from Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ while you munch on the cross beam of this instrument of torture, and in the case of Jesus, murder. Of course for us as Christians, it was God’s instrument of redemption. Before I’m too hard on whoever came up with the chocolate cross idea, I guess it’s probably better than a chocolate bunny. If you think about it, chocolate has to be in the shape of something, and I suppose a cross is certainly a better image for Easter than a bunny. Who came up with the Easter bunny idea? It seems to me if something mystical was going to sneak into my house or yard and hide Easter eggs, it should at least be something from which eggs might come. Maybe there should have been an Easter Bird or an Easter Frog (they do lay eggs – Google it) or even an Easter Snake. We should probably strike the snake idea because a snake crawling through my house laying eggs might get his head chopped off.

What’s up with all this anyway? The whole Easter Bunny thing (or Easter Snake) is one more attempt to rob us of the true meaning of Easter. Easter is the greatest time of year to remind us of God’s eternal plan of redemption. Easter is about a cross, though it’s not chocolate, and an empty tomb. It’s about a Savior, not a bunny. It’s about shed blood on a cross not hiding eggs in the yard. I don’t mean to sound like the Easter Scrooge, and there’s really nothing wrong with hunting eggs, but Easter is about Jesus. Maybe we should minimize the other stuff and maximize the real stuff. Why not add some meaningful family  experiences that will help you celebrate the real meaning of Easter. Consider celebrating Passover (add the Christian perspective to all the imagery). Spend time discussing the events of holy week. Have family communion on Thursday. End Friday doing something as a family to symbolize darkness, grief, and death. Wake up Sunday morning to the celebration of life and worshipping the risen Savior. He is alive!!! This is the greatest season of all. Go ahead and eat your chocolate cross if you want to, but in between each bite declare He is alive.

Happy Easter everyone. We serve a risen Savior. He is alive!!

3 Comments

  • Rebecca Engleman

    I really enjoyed that….I am with your every word. I have actually thought the very thing about the chocolate cross…..I would love to have read your blog if you had seen the chocolate nativity scene we saw at Christmas….. my kids were pretty disturbed about it in a funny way. We sure had a long conversation about it going home. 😉

    • timriordan

      Oh my – a chocolate nativity. I guess it will be a chocolate turkey next. Does chocolate diminish the significance or add to it? It sure adds to something – me.

  • sandra riordan

    Great article. I totally agree. I guess we should give Walmart a little credit for at least trying. I mean at least they acknowledge that there is another side to the story of this great day. BJs on the other hand, I noticed one year at Christmas, did not have one single thing in the store that even eluded to the true meaning of Christmas. Not even a nativity scene. I was shocked. Like you said, what we choose to minimize and maximize is the key to making it what it should or shouldn’t be.

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