Dear family,
Last weekend, we celebrated Easter in commemoration of our Lord Jesus' resurrection. In light of the season, I wish to share some truths about Easter. There has been a lot of confusion concerning Easter Sunday and what it represents. For some, Easter Sunday is about the Easter bunny, colourfully decorated Easter eggs and even Easter egg hunts. Although most people do know that Easter Sunday is related to the resurrection of Jesus, they are confused how Jesus' resurrection relates to Easter eggs or the Easter bunny.
Biblically, there is absolutely no correlation between the resurrection of Jesus Christ and modern party traditions during the Easter season. These traditions were birthed when the ancient church mixed the celebration of Jesus' resurrection with spring fertility rituals to make Christianity more attractive to non-Christians. These spring fertility rituals are the source of the Easter bunny and Easter eggs.
But for us, disciples of Jesus Christ, Easter is the remembrance of the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord some 2,000 years ago. According to Gospel accounts, Jesus Christ, the true Messiah as promised in the Old Testament, was crucified and resurrected at the time of the Jewish Passover. Since that momentous event, those who believe Christ is their Messiah have honoured and celebrated that day, often with the traditional Passover.
Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection is the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Because of this provision, mankind is granted new life by the forgiveness of sin and escape from its bondage. This gift is ours if we choose to accept it, which is why Jesus' resurrection is most worthy of being celebrated by all Christians! While it is appropriate for Jesus' resurrection to be celebrated on a Sunday, the day we celebrate should not be referred to as "Easter Sunday", since Easter has nothing to do with Jesus' resurrection. Instead, it is more appropriate and biblically correct for the day to be called "Resurrection Sunday".
Dear family, as extreme disciples of Christ, let's be careful not to let silly secular distractions like Easter eggs and the Easter bunny draw our focus away from the significance of Jesus' resurrection. Yes, we can celebrate on Easter Sunday, but know clearly that Christ's resurrection is something we should celebrate every day – not just once a year. And do not allow the fun and games to take precedence over what the day is truly about. Just like Jesus who resurrected from the dead, each one of us too can get up and arise, because our Lord Jesus has already defeated the enemy!
- Senior Pastor Nina Khong