Easter

Amid the hubbub of Easter baskets and candy, dyed eggs and chocolate bunnies, & matching Easter dresses for church services on Sunday, we find ourselves celebrating two distinctive  holidays  simultaneously.  The fun, light hearted, frivolous pastel, candy coated Easter that has more to do with spring time and worldly traditions and folklore and the other a deeply religious reminder of the death and resurrection of our Savior.

The Candy Coated Easter:  Egg hunts, Easter bunnies,  spring flowers, carrots being left out over night for the Easter bunny  - who magically brings baskets of goodies and candy – hidden all over the house.

How I remember it: When I was in kindergarten (5 years old), as all children do we compared notes about what holiday traditions occur in each family – we needed to compare notes to ensure appropriate distributions among each other – these traditions would certainly vary but this was also the tell for helping with tradition corrections – as was the result with Easter. 

As our class was preparing for the Easter bunny to visit the school, we as kindergarteners were able to see him first!, we were comparing traditions.  Tradition in my house had it that   the Easter baskets would be left in an obvious but interesting place – not the case of my fellow students – whose Easter bunny would leave their baskets in all sorts of places – hidden! so when they awoke Easter  morning they had to hunt – and find their basket.  I thought this was a wonderful idea and I needed to in form my Easter bunny (fyi: our family  wasn’t much into making Santa and the EB as the bearers of all holiday gifts – they are concepts and traditions but we knew how it worked – “Santa” and “Easter Bunny” were like the holiday alias of our parents and that was just fine).  So I sat down with my EB (Mom) and we had a discussion “The Easter Bunny is doing it all wrong!” I explained, we discussed how the baskets were supposed to be hidden in places like the dryer, in closets, inside cabinets – and hidden so well that it was a challenge to find the baskets.  The EB got better and hiding our baskets became tradition! 

My Favorite Easter Tradition: we had and still have and I will continue to carry on with my future family – We separate Easter fun from Easter spiritual:  As long as I can remember our EB came the Saturday before Easter  - Saturday was the day for hyped up candy, over dosing on chocolate, playing with a new toy, Easter egg hunts, and the like.    Sunday was for Easter dresses, new shoes, and Sunday bests, Church Services, Easter Sunday Dinner with family and most importantly it was about Jesus Christ.  So we have always had an Easter Saturday and an Easter Sunday!

The Religious Easter: Easter is a deeply religious reminder of the death and resurrection of our Savior.  Living in a pretty religious community, I pass a lot of churches on my way to church on Sundays, I have always loved seeing Easter Sunday with church parking lots full (our church lot will be fairly empty this year due to Easter falling on General Conference Sunday and so many watching conference at home now!)  parishioners donning their Sunday best, car loads walking into services, it is nice to see that Easter Sunday is a priority to so  many.  I see their Easter symbols on the front lawns: crosses with purple shrouds, banners with calls to join in Easter services, Signs declaring “He is Risen!” even Easter lilies for sale on the road side. 

We are a little bit different in our Easter Service – Certainly the ward choir sings, there are talks given, perhaps lessons gear a little more toward an Easter theme… but nothing distinctly out of the ordinary from other Sundays.  We talk on the Life and Resurrection of the Savior and his infinite atonement often, every Sunday as we partake of the sacrament we are reminded of the Atonement and His sacrifice for us and in preparation for the Sacrament we sing many familiar “Easter” hymns.  It is as though we celebrate Easter Sunday -every Sunday and yet with out the traditional physical symbolism in the front yard of the church.   It is often asked Why aren’t there Crosses on our church buildings and temples, in our homes, or worn to express our faith.  President Gordon B. Hinkley  addressed this in the April 2005 Ensign, Fist Presidency Message: Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Symbol of Our Faith,” Ensign, Apr 2005 

“Following the renovation of the Mesa Arizona Temple some years ago, clergy of other religions were invited to tour it on the first day of the open house period. Hundreds responded. In speaking to them, I said we would be pleased to answer any queries they might have. Among these was one from a Protestant minister.

Said he: “I’ve been all through this building, this temple which carries on its face the name of Jesus Christ, but nowhere have I seen any representation of the cross, the symbol of Christianity. I have noted your buildings elsewhere and likewise find an absence of the cross. Why is this when you say you believe in Jesus Christ?”

I responded: “I do not wish to give offense to any of my Christian colleagues who use the cross on the steeples of their cathedrals and at the altars of their chapels, who wear it on their vestments, and imprint it on their books and other literature. But for us, the cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the Living Christ.”

He then asked: “If you do not use the cross, what is the symbol of your religion?”

I replied that the lives of our people must become the most meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship.”

As we celebrate and bear testimony of  the Life and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we cannot help but contemplate the miracles that come from his incredible sacrifice for each of us.  Because of the Atonement we are saved, because he paid the price of our sins we can repent and be forgiven.  Miraculous indeed. 

from Mormon Messages: