Tag: Christianization

THE EASTER EGG & THE EMPTY TOMB

Although Christianity is essentially a form of Judaism, over the centuries the Christian Faith has incorporated and inculcated itself into the various cultures of Pagan societies. So Christianity’s spiritual inheritance is a blend of ancient Hebrew faith mixed with some Christianized archaic Pagan practices. And while this fact is often greatly overstated these days by those who wish to discredit and malign Christianity, the reality is that Christian observances (such as the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ) include some formerly Pagan elements as well. Consequently, things like colored eggs, bunny rabbits, and so on, have been given new and eternal significance by the grace and truth of God revealed in Christ our Savior. For “God has placed all things under Christ’s feet and has made him the head over all things for the church…” (Ephesians 1:22).  

Moreover, while the name of the annual celebration of the resurrection of Jesus maintains its Hebrew roots in many non-English languages (Pascha in Greek, Pascua in Spanish, etc.), in English the name of this most holy of all Christian holy days is taken from an Anglo-Saxon spring festival centered on the goddess Eostre, a Germanic goddess of the sunrise whose symbol was a rabbit or hare. So this is only the case in English (Easter) and German (Ostern), not in other languages. In most languages, the paschal connection between the celebrations of Passover and Holy Week is maintained, stemming from the Hebrew root word of Pesach.

Now that all this has been said, how are we Christians to regard symbols like colored Easter eggs?

The egg is an obvious candidate for a resurrection symbol of renewal and regeneration. The egg has been honored during many spring rites throughout the ages: Egyptians, Jews, Persians, Romans, Celts, and even the Chinese, have all understood the egg as representing new beginnings. Whether it was the commencement of building a bridge across a river, sowing a field of wheat, or launching a new fishing boat, the egg was used as an emblem of renewal. So Christians naturally adopted the egg symbol to specifically and preeminently represent the new life received through the cross and empty tomb of Jesus. For, again, “God has placed all things under Christ’s feet and has made him the head over all things for the church…”

The good news is that God enacts, establishes and extends his absolute love for all nations and peoples through the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ the Son of God, offering the free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life to everyone by God’s grace through faith. Therefore, according to the biblical gospel, Christianity ascribes the ancient Hebrew symbolism of the Passover lamb and the archaic Pagan symbolism of the decorated egg to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus the Universal Messiah.

So for us Christians, a colored Easter egg (and its emptied shell after eating it) represents the empty tomb, and it calls us to be empty tombs as well. For the truth is that we can sometimes be overwhelmed by our unrealized expectations, disappointments, losses and grief; we can sometimes be overcome by despair, frustration and an apocalyptic mood. We can become so spiritually and emotionally severe that we become tombs filled with the deadly stench of judgment and condemnation, directed at ourselves and others. However, we must realize that we cannot force the Kingdom of God to be perfectly manifest in others any more than we can force God’s Kingdom to be perfectly manifest in ourselves. So we must love and forgive ourselves and others, just as God loves us and forgives us in Christ.

In other words, by the grace of God, let us become empty tombs in our lives — empty of our desire to control and our attachment to specific outcomes. By God’s grace, we must LET GO and LET GOD! By God’s sovereign grace and will, let us TRUST IN THE LORD and be at peace. God is the Lord of human history (including you and me) and God’s steadfast love endures forever.

“O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:2)

Blessed & Happy Eastertime!!! Pastor Tim

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE

Saint Valentine is a Christian saint of the Third Century AD who is widely celebrated on February 14th and commonly associated with romantic love. Although not much of St. Valentine’s life is reliably known, it is highly agreed that St. Valentine was martyred and then buried on the Via Flaminia to the north of Rome around 273 AD.

The story goes that St. Valentine (a former Bishop) was arrested late in his life for continuing to convert Pagans to the Christian Faith. He was sent to Rome and was martyred during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II). In addition to converting people to Christ, St. Valentine was imprisoned for marrying Christian couples and aiding Christians being persecuted by Emperor Claudius II. All three of these acts were considered serious crimes.

While in prison, a relationship between St. Valentine and the Emperor began to grow, until Valentine attempted to convert him. Then Emperor Claudius became enraged and sentenced Valentine to death, commanding him to publically renounce his Christian Faith and reject his Lord Jesus or be beaten with clubs and beheaded. St. Valentine refused to do this and was executed outside the Flaminian Gate on February 14th (c. 273 AD). Furthermore, legend says that on the day of his execution he left a note behind to his flock signed “Your Valentine.”

The romantic nature of St. Valentine’s Day may have derived from the fact that he illegally officiated at the marriages of Christians while under Roman Pagan persecution. However, this romantic connection also may have derived from later Christian Church attempts to Christianize the Pagan holiday called Lupercalia on February 15th, which was a holiday celebrating Lupercus (a Roman god sometimes identified with the Roman god Faunus, who is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Pan). Lupercus was a Roman god of shepherds and flocks, and of nature and the wilderness, and the Pagan holiday of Lupercalia was widely recognized as a day for romantic love and devotion.

Today, archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to St. Valentine, and he is widely accepted as the Christian Saint associated with romantic courtship, engaged couples and happy marriages. He is represented in Christian art with birds, bees and roses.

St. Valentine’s Day also gives us an opportunity to contemplate the New Testament concept of love. In the Greek language (the language of the New Testament) there are six words for love: Agape, Eros, Ludus, Philia, Philautia, and Pragma. While eros (romantic love) is mostly associated with St. Valentine, and while pragma (longstanding love) and philia (deep friendship love) are very important, the New Testament of Christ emphasizes the Divine love of agape for us.

Agape is the compassionate, charitable and sacrificial love of God that extends to everyone. It is a love that transcends all of our differences of worldview and philosophy. While we might disagree as to what loving in this way might specifically look like within various situations, we are all nevertheless called to abide in an agape-love and servant-heart for the sake of the world. It is even a love that Christian law enforcement personnel and Christian military personnel participate in as they honorably serve and work to uphold good order in our world. Theirs is a kind of tough love, and it is a necessary kind of sacrificial love for the sake of an orderly and peaceable society.

Agape-love is used throughout the New Testament, but here are some very good examples of this from First John:

We know love (agape) by this, that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.

First John 3:16

Beloved, let us love (agape) one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.

First John 4:7-11

So as we look to celebrate eros-love on St. Valentine’s Day again this year, let us remember how St. Valentine lived the agape-love of Christ, and let us contemplate this agape-love for our own faith and life as Christians. Beloved, as we are “Valentines” of Christ whom God has agape-loved so much, we also ought to agape-love one another and all people in Jesus’ name.

Your Fellow Valentine in Christ, Pastor Tim