Hallelujah! He has risen.
For many children around the world Easter means pretty eggs, pictures with the Easter bunny, and candy filled baskets, but for our little boy it means his first lessons and understanding of the resurrection of Christ. As we are often asked, "Did Ethan get his photo taken with the Easter bunny?" or "What did you put in his basket this year?", we kindly just shake our heads and say that we don't celebrate that way.
For those of you that are curious as to why? Read on.
Resurrection Sunday (also known as Easter) is the most important Christian holiday. It is a day to remember that God sent his only son, whom died on a cross for your sins and my sins, and on the third day of burial in the tomb he rose from the dead, fulfilling the prophecy that Jesus Christ was the son of God.
Most of you already know this story. You've heard it in church on Sunday. You've read it a million times in your bible. This is just a summary of facts you already know. But do you know why you color eggs? Or why you dress up as a bunny? I challenge your to find out the meaning behind these traditions. I think you may be very surprised!
The Easter Egg
“The egg was a sacred symbol among the Babylonians. They believed an old fable about an egg of wondrous size which was supposed to have fallen from heaven into the Euphrates River. From this marvelous egg - according to the ancient story - the Goddess Astarte (Easter) [Semiramis], was hatched. And so the egg came to symbolize the Goddess Easter.”[11]
The egg was also a symbol of fertility; Semiramis (Easter) was the goddess of Fertility. The Easter egg is a symbol of the pagan Mother Goddess, and it even bears one of her names.
The Easter Bunny
The Easter bunny symbolizes the Mother Goddess. Annual Spring time fertility rituals are associated worship of the Mother Goddess and Tammuz, the reincarnation of her husband Nimrod.
Most of these traditions are of pagan descent so we chose not to honor them. I've heard my whole life "well... it's just a little egg".. "it's just a small little basket with some candy".. to us.. it's much more! One day Andrew and I will stand before God the Father and answer for how we have chosen to live and how we have raised our child. We will stand before no man, no boss, no parent, no neighbor... we will stand before the Alpha and Omega, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Great I AM... we will stand before Him, and we will say that we chose His way over the easy way.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
If you are wondering, yes, we do still buy our son gifts in celebration of this glorious day. He will go on a bibical scanvenger hunt at my parents. We read scriptures to decipher where our gifts are hidden. My mother is very creative and makes every Resurrection Sunday better then the last. In years to come Ethan will come and attend the Easter play at Trinity Gospel Temple with us. It is a usual tradition in our family. Both my parents were stars in the play in their youth, so it has a special meaning for us. It is one of the best portrayal of the events of Christ's death and resurrection. I encourage your to check it out one year! It's fabulous!
Happy Resurrection Sunday my friends! May God be with you and your loved one's as you celebrate this blessed day. :)
Love ~ Abi
To read more about the Christian and Pagan traditions of Easter please check out this page: Origins of Easter (Resurrection Sunday)
