So I have been on this bent lately about American claims to be a Christian country, and a recent email that I recieved has re kindled that fire. I have talked about this in previous posts, so sorry if I sound like a broken record. And sorry if this makes little sense but I am craming this post in between eating toast and a meeting…and the sun is shining in Seattle so I am ansy to get out in it…
But a few weeks ago we enetered lent, the 40 days before Easter. This period of time is pre empted by Shrove Tuesday, begins with Ash Wednesday, contains Maunday Thursday, Good Friday and finishes with Easter Sunday. At my Christian work place Ash Wednesday did not even come up on the schedule when we had our Wednesday prayer meeting! No one that I saw was wearing a single piece of Ash. This is strange for me, in Ireland people all over the place look silly for Ash Wednesday…but this is not my real beef except to say that Lent is way underdone in the Protestant tradition…
My real beef is why is it that Easter is not a holiday? Why does Easter not merit a day off? When Presidents Day does, Labor Day does, MLK day does….why is Easter confined to an almost holiday? Easter is in the same catogory as Valentines Day or Mothers Day….You may say that well Easter is on a Sunday we already get Sundays off…but when Christmas day falls on a Sunday do we not get the day off on Monday?
Easter is where it should be at in the Christian calender, Easter is Jesus did what he was sent to do. Christmas was when he was born, but Easter is when, pardon my french, the SHIT hit the fan. (Yes Christians can speak French from time to time…)
Easter is when the devil was beaten. Sorry but this gets me going, Easter is the number one event in Christian and human history and we dont even take a MOnday to remember that! But America is a Christian country and In GOD WE TRUST….
I think it comes down to this, most people dont get anything out of Easter, and I mean gifts or money…they do get the offer of salvation but eternal salvation is not really worth getting excited about now is it? Easter is not profitable enough to get the people going, to be blunt.
I realize that Easter maybe never will be a holiday, but we should atleast get excited about it a bit more. I mean Christians, or Western Christians like me, must look pretty farcical to the average non Western Christian or even for that matter Muslim or Budhist (whose devotion to their God(s) is commendable).
Our devotion to remembering Jesus death is pretty lame, the same could be said for the whole of western Christendom….our apathy and lack of passion for the Good news is seen clearly in how unexcited we all our about Easter…
Filed under: reflective, religous
Good day. .
I just wanted to say how much i enjoyed that blog. I think i share your frustration when it comes to people who like to be identified as a certain group, but on the other hand, reflect no significant conviction and understanding when it comes to relig0us historical events belonging to that faith. I’m a South African by the way, and i’m a bit shocked that you do not have easter as a holiday there. I’m still a scholar, so i don’t only get to celebrate easter by having a long weekend, but i also get to miss a day of school. .now, having said that, does it take away any significance from the holiday, and just reduce it to being just a day away from school?. .