New Holy Day for Holy Week

Eggstravaganza!! Easter Egg Saturday!! Yayyyyy! Not Really!

The Problematic Action: Christian churches have adopted this tradition as a ministry outreach event for their community. Due to health concerns, time, and money churches get Easter egg materials donated by congregants by collecting loads of chocolates, Smarties, Peeps, jelly beans, and plastic eggs. Then on Saturday churches hold an Easter egg hunt on the church property or at a local park and invite the community to come and enjoy a day of Easter egg hunting, food, and games. The event is designed to extend an invitation for the community to join the church for Resurrection Sunday the following day.

Oh, but why?!:

What do Bunny Rabbits and eggs have to do with Holy Week? Nothing!

What does Easter egg hunting have to do with the day between Christ’s death and resurrection? Nothing!

What does propagating a PAGAN ritual/celebration have ANYTHING to do with the significance of Holy Week or the significance of unconditional love and forgiveness? Nothing!

Run Jesus run!

My Response: JESUS!!! I should end with that but I must complicate the matter. I see that Eggstravaganzas are a means, or a tool, in evangelizing to communities. But shouldn’t the epic masterpiece of the timeless Gospel of Christ be more than good enough? I do not think, no matter how hard I try to justify it, that churches should have Easter egg hunts as an outreach tool. Especially when that outreach tool is planned for and prayed over MORE THAN Resurrection Sunday at the church! Holy Week itself is quite personal but I think there should be a shift to “participating” in the days of Holy Week with the church body and inviting the community to participate as well. I’m not talking about simply inviting the community just to the church building but going out to the community “Paul Revere” status and proclaiming, “Christ Jesus is dying! Christ Jesus is dead! Christ Jesus was buried! But He will rise again!!!” I’m also not talking about being insensitive to others and forcing the Gospel upon them but in intentional acts of love and sincerity plead the ONLY MESSAGE WORTHY LOOKING ABSOLUTELY FOOLISH FOR!

Jesus does not need a cute little bunny and Chicken eggs to proclaim his message no matter how “effective” it is!

Christ’s humiliation, pain, torture, a mangled body beyond recognition, and his ETERNAL LOVE are good enough.

From Eugene Peterson on Life Stories

“The reason that story is so basic to us is that life itself has narrative shape– a beginning and an end, plot and characters, conflict and resolution.  Life isn’t an accumulation of abstractions such as love and truth, sin and salvation, atonement and holiness; life is the realization of details that all connect organically, personally, specifically: names and fingerprints, street numbers and local weather, lamb for supper and a flat tire in the rain.  God reveals himself to us not in a metaphysical formulation or a cosmic fireworks display but in the kind of stories that we use to tell our children who they are and how to group as human beings…..Somewhere along the way, most of us pick up bad habits of extracting  from the bible what we pretentiously call “spiritual principles” or “moral guidelines,” or “theological truths,” and then corseting ourselves in them in order to force a godly shape on our lives.”

God is…

Who is greater? What is greater?

God? Or our perception of God?

What else do you have to influence you and your perception?  Well, where do we begin? Where can we begin?

Now, I cannot tell you who God is BUT I could tell you what God is like.  What God’s character is, what God desires, loves, and dislikes.

The Bible is the authority that will accomplish this.

The Bible is THAT example.

The Bible is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  No, God is not IN the Bible but the words, praises, narratives, proverbs, the distinguishable red words. The word of God is living and active. THAT, is God!

God is vengeance, God is gracious, God is jealous, God is maker, God is merciful, God is righteous, God is perfect, God is patient, God is strong, God is eternal, God is glorious, God is just, God is Most High.

Who is God?

God is God.  Elohim. Yahweh. Jesus. Lord of Lords. Prince of Peace. Emmanuel. Righteous. Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Eternal Father.

Need more?

In the beginning God…And God said…And God saw that it was good…God was angry…He had mercy…the LORD changed his mind…And God called…God remembered…God heard…LORD God sent…LORD saved…The Mighty One…God loved…Jesus died…God lives…

forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever……….

Scripture must be reestablished as essential to our lives as seekers of God, followers of God, lovers of God.  Books can’t do it, friends can’t do it all, prayer plays a part, faith does too, but the Scripture bring us home.  Other religious texts shed no amount of equality to this text. No amount of self-help, spiritualist, palm reader can provide such depth and clarity then God to us through the Bible!

Love is in the Bible. Attempt read it. Ponder its content. Reflect on it. Apply it.

God is active and continues to be active. God is a verb.

It’s all there…

Genesis 3:23, Genesis 14:18, Genesis 1:1, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 1:10, Genesis 1:5, Genesis 8:1, Exodus 20:5, Exodus 2:24, Exodus 14:30, Deuteronomy 4:21, Deuteronomy 10:17, Deuteronomy 3:24, Deuteronomy 33:27, Deuteronomy 32:4, Joshua 22:22, 2 Samuel 2:27, 2 Samuel 22:48, 2 Chronicles 9:8, Job 4:17, Psalm 86:15, Isaiah 63:9, Isaiah 30:18, Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 5:48, Mark 5:19, Ephesians 1:17, 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 2 Peter 3:9