Bunnies, Baskets and Bulbs... What about Jesus?

The traditional Easter celebration has morphed over the years into a mega commercial holiday.  It is second in the sale of candy only to Halloween.  Jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and candy eggs top the popular wish list.  Easter baskets are adorned with paper or plastic grass, small toys, and stuffed animals (bunnies, lambs, and chicks).

The Easter bunny originated in Europe and migrated to the United States.  It has always been a symbol of fertility.  Other animals played a significant role in Easter traditions throughout Europe such as doves, foxes and geese.  

Dyeing Easter eggs may have their origin in the 40 day period of Lent where often Christians would "give up" such dietary items as meat, eggs, and milk.  Eggs were decorated and kept for presenting in baskets lined with color straw as a treat after the fast.  Great care was given to extravagant design and a wide array of colorful dyes in order to ready them for presentation.

Chocolate eggs and the chocolate bunny had their roots in France and Germany in the 19th century and eventually made their way to the United States.  Chocolate was another common item to give up during Lent - thus making it a much desired item in the Easter basket.

A traditional Easter dinner might be leg of lamb or baked ham.  Lamb is traditional because Jesus' last supper was the Passover meal.   Ham was popular in the past because salted pork would last throughout the winter and be ready to eat in the Spring before other fresh meat was available.

But what about the Christian's celebration of this sacred holiday?  After all - we are celebrating the death and resurrection of our Lord.

The Easter season comprises of a 40 day period called Lent that precedes Easter Sunday. It is a time of reflection and penance, often involving a fast from one or more things - and represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness before starting His ministry.

Good Friday honors the day of His crucifixion and Holy Saturday focuses on the transition between the crucifixion and the resurrection.  

Symbolic of purity and the bodily rising of Jesus Christ, Easter lilies adorn Christian homes and houses of worship on the holy day that shares its name.  The flower was so named based on the fact that it often blooms near the time of year that Easter occurs.  White reminds us of the purity of Christ and the gold color represents the royalty of Christ.

Tulips are also popular in the Spring, and as is the case with the Easter lily, both flowers have come to represent Christ's resurrection from the dead.  Christians celebrate life over death in which the bulbs burst forth from the ground and bloom.



What does an empty grave have to do with you and me?  How can Christ's resurrection impact our lives today?

Simply put - Jesus is no longer in the tomb... He is here.  He "tabernacles" with us. He is Emanuel [God with us] and He is ever present in our lives, in our circumstances and in our eternal destiny.   Jesus is with us in pain and in difficulty.  He is with us in solitude and in rejection.  He is with us in loneliness and in despair.  Nothing can separate us from Him and His love...

"We learn that 'the Lord was with Joseph' in slavery, and then in prison.  In other words, God is not just in the garden anymore - He shows up even in the most painful and difficult places.  That's good news for anyone in trouble, and a hint of the Good News to come."

(John Ortberg)

He is the first to rise from the dead - the "first fruit" of the incorruptible seed of humanity. He fulfills prophesy and establishes the order of the final resurrection.  Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega - the Lord Almighty.  He is the originator of our spiritual DNA. 

Celebrate Easter with confidence, knowing that Jesus Christ purchased our access to heaven through His blood - atoning for our sins and sacrificing Himself in order to satisfy the Law's demands.  May we recognize and thank Him for His bountiful grace and mercy... 

Here is a link to one of my past Easter posts   EASTER - Promised Light Eternal

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. 

Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

Bunnies, Baskets and Bulbs... What about Jesus?

Easter - The Promised Light Eternal

I AM the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.  (John 8:12)

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.   (John 1:4-5)


Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. (Mark 16:2)  

That morning must have been preceded by a very long night. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, and Salome (along with the other women) had witnessed Jesus' body being wrapped and laid in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus just prior to the Sabbath.

As they approached the tomb with the prepared burial spices, they stood in stunned silence. The large stone had been rolled away.  Who could have done such a thing?  They went inside and found the body was gone.  Perplexed, they were startled by two men who stood nearby in shining garments. Seeing that they were afraid, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!"  (Luke 24:5-6)

Easter is a celebratory time for Christians worldwide.  The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is the greatest pivotal event in history.  The gateway from death to eternal life was opened for everyone who believes in and accepts Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah.

This Easter spend time reflecting on what His life, death, burial and resurrection means to you personally. 

May we ~

Rejoice in the Lamb's Blood

Marvel at the Father's acceptance 

Glory in our Eternal home 

Please enjoy my other Easter posts from prior years...

The Cross is Passing You By

Empty Tomb to Full Heart

One of my all-time favorite worship songs to enjoy...

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. 

Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

Easter - The Promised Light Eternal

The Cross Is Passing By - Are You Ready?

Tiepolo - Christ Carrying the Cross

"Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him." (Luke 23:26-27)

I have always imagined what the people thought as they watched Jesus being led from Pilate's courtyard through the city of Jerusalem up to the hillside of Calvary to be crucified.

Surely some of the crowd that witnessed the travesty of an innocent man condemned to death in the place of a hardened, habitual criminal would follow the procession.  Many of them recognized Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount, or perhaps from his teaching along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had healed many men, women and children throughout Judea.  Can you imagine the sick feeling they had in the pit of their stomach as they saw him bloody and battered?  Don't you wonder how they felt as they watched the synagogue leaders and elders participate in his unlawful arrest and sentencing?

Imagine finding yourself on the very road that the Roman soldiers were clearing a path for Jesus and the two others with him. There would have been a loud commotion from the troops as shouts and commands echoed in the narrow streets. People were being shoved and prodded as their curiosity caused them to peer into the throng that surrounded the Man from Nazareth. 

At that time the cross portrayed death and destruction.  It reminded the people in Jerusalem of their Roman occupiers. It was a symbol of the heavy-handed punishment administered for insurrection and threats to Caesar's rule.

As the cross passed by - the people were indifferent. They were not ready for its impact.  They had no idea that it would come to represent freedom and liberty.  

The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 1:17-18 "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

That "power" is the resurrection power that overcame the sting of the grave. Those who believe on Jesus Christ will never see spiritual death. The cross symbolizes an eternal truth: Christ's cross is life giving. Jesus is the Living Hope for all eternity.  (Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 13:14)

Easter is a season of new birth and renewal.  If you want to know more about how you can have a personal relationship with God, please visit this link:        Billy Graham's - Steps to Peace With God

Easter is coming.  The cross is passing by.  What will you do with it?

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. 

Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

The Cross Is Passing By - Are You Ready?