Preacher C and the Little armstrong

At the approach of Christmas, you see lights on every store, tree, lamp post and home. You see red and green ad nauseum. You hear Christmas carols beginning November 1. There are Christmas cookies, Christmas parties, Christmas parades and Christmas cards. Yet, Easter, arguably the more important Christian event, doesn't have the same celebratory flair. Why?

Well, with the whole lights thing, it's not as dark, so there's a whole different kind of ambiance. God seems to be providing the lighting for this season. Bright sunlight has returned. Patio lights have replaced twinkle lights, as people have moved outside into the warmer air to celebrate the return of spring. The glow of hearth and candlelight are replaced by breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, as well as longer daylight hours.

And why limit ourselves to red and green when God paints the world in brilliant colors of pink, purple, yellow, orange, red, gold, green, and white? There are flowers, trees, butterflies, and birds forming an unlimited pallette of variegation for God to dip His paintbrush into. And though I have never heard of Easter carols, there are certain songs associated with this time of the church year that I look forward to: Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?, What Wondrous Love is This? and others that we sing only at this time of the year.

There used to be Easter parades. At least, in the movies there were! In one of my favorites, Holiday Inn, starring Bing Crosby (my children are going "Who?"), there's the song about the Easter parade. Many of us do still wear new clothes on Easter Sunday and "parade" to church to show our best! There may not be Easter cookies, but I love hot cross buns and moravian sugar cookies. And why not send Easter cards?

Okay, so I'm grasping at straws. Yet, there are some very rich Easter traditions so ingrained in our culture that we don't even know they are associated with Easter. Oh, we know about the bunnies and eggs, signs of fertility adapted from the pagan cultures by the church and assigned new "chrisitanized" interpretations. But did you know that pretzels were developed by monks as unleavened bread to be used during Lent? Their original shape of the twist was supposed to resemble arms folded in prayer. Think about that next time you munch a pretzel. And I know you can find marshmallow hearts, rabbits, santas and shamrocks, but they were origanally developed in the 1950s in America (I think in Boston, but don't quote me on that) as little peeps for Easter treats.

Easter is the oldest of all the Christian traditions and holidays. It is the holiest of days. It is the day that gives us a reason to be Christians - the day Jesus conquered death, rose from the grave, and called us to live as His disciples. We are, in fact, Easter people, when we have died to self, and risen with Him to a new life lived according to His purpose.

I, for one, plan to celebrate like crazy. Party at Pastor Caren's house! I'm making the Hot Cross Buns, someone else bring the ham, chocolate bunnies anyone? Up from the grave He arose (He arose), Hallelujah, Christ arose!