Page 2 - WHY CELEBRATE EASTER - GN 03-1982 2

WHY CELEBRATE EASTER? [Originally from the Good News Magazine of March 1983,
composed by Eugene M. Walter, edited by the Bible Fund editors, 2018]
Does Easter Sunday really commemorate the resurrection of Christ? Where, in the Bible, are
Christians commanded to keep Easter? We strip bare the FACTS of history in this article.
ON ONE Sunday morning each spring, a strange and bewildering phenomenon takes place in cities, towns and countryside around the world.
Instead of sleeping late as usual, many thousands are going to get up early on this day – very early. They must be at their destination well before sunrise.
The occasion? A game of golf? A fishing trip? No, not on this particular morning.
It’s Easter – But Why?
Instead, they will meet with friends and, of all things, watch the sun rise! And as if this were not unusual enough, this is all part of a religious service!
On this very same day, millions of others will be preparing to do something unusual, too. This will be one of the two or three times during the year when they will darken the door of a church! Or perhaps it would be better to say decorate the door of a church, for they will have purchased fashionable new clothes especially for the occasion.
Some, because their 40 days of partial abstinence called Lent will be over, will once again freely indulge themselves. Other anticipate a family reunion, a big ham dinner or, perhaps, a fashion show or a parade.
And the children? They are absolutely delighted with the chocolate rabbits, the colored eggs and the prospect of exciting egg-hunting and egg-rolling games on the lawn!
This is Easter – one of the big holidays of the Western year!
But what is its purpose? What is it supposed to commemorate? And why all these incongruous activities? Why watch the sun rise on this day? Why purchase new clothes for it? Why eat ham for dinner?
Why rabbits? Why not a puppy or a kitten? They can lay just as many eggs as a rabbit. But then, WHY eggs? Wouldn’t oranges or onions roll just as well?
To a world steeped in tradition, these customs seem normal. But when you stop to think about it, what real sense do the activities of this day we call Easter make anyway?
And why is Easter observed on a Sunday? Why not on a Tuesday, Thursday or Monday?
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