It’s Easter. Shouldn’t there be a bunny somewhere?

It seems to me that most churches build there whole year around two holidays, Christmas and Easter. Both of which have been ”taken over” by the world. I mean, to the church Christmas means the birth of a Savior. To the world, Christmas brings visions of Santa Clause. I’ve already told you how I feel about Christmas. Here’s my post about Santa. Now let me talk to you about Easter and the bunny.

When I was a kid, growing up in West Texas, my mom would bring a basket into our rooms and leave them at the end of the bed on Easter morning. It was as if this giant bunny came in and brought this basket of goodies into my room and left it there for me. Now growing up 25 miles north of Odessa, a giant bunny was almost realistic. Check out this rabbit.

I looked forward to Easter for two reasons: 1) We got to eat candy before breakfast. How cool is that? 2) We got to wear our brand new clothes to church and go to La Hacienda for lunch. How yummy is that? Man, I have always loved Easter. Even before I understood what Easter really was. What was real cool was the night before, either I would spend the night with my friends, or they would spend the night with me because we were going to church the next morning. It might have been the only day we went until school started again, but we were going. And we were probably going to see a play that morning, so it wasn’t really like going to church at all. HOW COOL IS THAT?

Well, now that I’m the guy preparing for the masses that come once a year, my outlook has changed a little. No longer does my mom put candy at the foot of my bed. My wife does it now. (Yes I still eat candy before breakfast) This is not the only day I’ll go to church this spring. I’m coming back next week, too. But something else has also changed. We’re not doing a play. Not that it’s all bad, but my church doesn’t really do traditional Easter services. We will have a real service, with real worship and a real sermon. At CFAN, we believe every service should be the Super Bowl, not just Christmas and Easter.  What if someone comes and decides they like the service? Will they come back expecting the same thing next week? I hope so because that’s what they’ll get.

But some will complain that we’re the church of the Living God, put here to keep watch over all the sacred holidays and traditions of our fathers, right? We can’t let this kind of thinking infiltrate our “religion.” And there’s the problem. We’ve made Easter part of the religious system. It’s not. It’s a celebration. It’s a time to be happy, or hoppy, or whatever. It’s a time to buy new spring clothes. The bland weather and gray skies are coming to an end. Now it’s bright, sunny, (this is for those of you not living in Florida). Kinda like the first Easter Sunday. The old religion was coming to an end. The light had risen on a new era, and it was and is bright. Let’s not push people away with the old, dead, dried up way things have always been done. go buy a new pair of jeans and a new pearl snap, surged shirt for Easter morning. Come to church and celebrate with those looking for the real reason for Easter.

On your way, eat that chocolate bunny. Today you can actually get away with it.

Happy Easter!!!