That's What You Got?

Have you ever walked out of a movie theater with a friend and asked, "What did you think?" and been utterly stunned at their response? When they said something like "I didn't like the music," or "I've never liked Hugh Jackman," or "The color of the whole thing seemed too blue...I hate when they do that." And you just want to scream, "Really? That's what you got?!? We just sat through two-and-a-half hours of movie time and you were stuck on the soundtrack??? Do you even know who Martin Scorsese is?"

I haven't written on my blog for several weeks now...very busy and not feeling especially well. But also nothing has particularly inspired and/or bothered me. Until this past weekend. Easter weekend. And now I've got something to say...still busy, not feel very well, but have to write about this.

I actually heard an ad on the radio that said, "Of course Easter is in the spring...it's the most beautiful time of the year!" What? Did someone just say that? Did someone have the audacity to say that our Lord Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead in the spring because it was prettier to do it then than, say, sometime in September?

That just brought to the surface a frustration that was building in me over the preciousness associated with Easter this year. I don't mind the pretty flowers and bunnies decorating everything in celebration of spring. It really is a beautiful time of year as everything is in bloom and the energy in the air is contagious and invigorating. But there is a line that we need to be careful not to cross, and that ad on the radio just jumped (or hopped) all over it.

I imagine Jesus walking through one of our stores--say, Wal-Mart or Target--and into the Easter section, and saying, "Really? That's what you got? I died on the cross, overcame the powers of death and sin, and rose on the third day, and this is where you take it?"

Of course, we could explain to him that we use Easter eggs to symbolize new birth. We could explain that the Easter bunny is...I don't know...I really don't have a clue how to explain that one. And we could point out that it's a celebration of springtime. 

And then we would tell him to just show up on Easter Sunday morning and listen to our church service...that he would be really impressed with the music then. 

Here's my bottom line: We Christians have been making a huge deal lately about keeping Christ in Christmas. How about we keep Christ in Easter? 

We know he is risen indeed...let's remind the world!