Is it Easter in your home?

Is it Easter in your home?

Have you purchased all your Easter decorations for the season? Did you go out and shop for the many cards you plan to send to family and friends. Oh, and don’t forget to pick up loads of chocolate and other assorted candies to put in the children’s baskets this year. And, I wonder, where will we buy it all…which vendor? And before you become too miffed at this obvious opening paragraph please understand I know that most of my readers will be sure to include church on Easter morning, maybe even a sunrise service. But what do all of our plans, shopping and services actually say?

Try this in your home tonight. Take all your decorations for this season and set them on the living room floor. Now begin sorting them and ask yourself a couple of questions. 

First, what proportion of this year’s decorations are clearly Christ centered? Did you include the cross? Is there anything that will represent the grave from which He arose? Or, the throne that He sits upon in Heaven having won the victory over sin. How many bunnies and chicks did we include? If you included anything that is not clearly Christ centered then you have been influenced by our ungodly society. You are beginning to compromise if you have not completely sold out already. As Christians, we should never combine the victory of our risen Savior with the practices of this world in some vain effort to “blend in” and not be seen as “too” religious*.

Second, where did you buy these things, from which store? Yes, it makes a difference. The world is trying to remove Christianity from society altogether. And when we buy the tiny little remanence of Christ centered decorations, candies, and cards etc. which they offer we have actually supported their efforts to diminish Christianity. There are Christian stores in this world. Many are on our computers at home, our cell phones and in many or our towns, if we took the time to look. Stores who love the Lord and want to help us celebrate properly should be our first choice. Christian stores offer many more celebration ideas than we will ever find at Walmart, Kmart or Target. But because it is inconvenient or slightly higher in price we choose to surrender our Christianity, or at least our testimony, for convenience or to save one extra dollar. 

Let me make a statement which is likely to garner the ire of many readers. A Christian home should never display an Easter basket unless it is making a statement against such paganism. The basket, the rabbits, the chicks and the various forms of eggs are all a compromise of our Christianity in an effort to “fit in” with an ungodly society*. The single greatest celebration in Christianity is being replaced with rabbits and eggs with the consent of those calling themselves Christian. It may not be verbal consent. But, it is consent by action.

The Old Testament is replete with the warnings and the judgments of God against Israel for this very behavior. Time and time again, Israel attempted to “fit in” with the surrounding communities by adapting to their ways. And every time they did God’s judgment fell. God will not share His glory with anyone. In Psalm 96:3 the psalmist said, that we are to “Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.” **We are not to succumb to the pressures of society telling us to keep our religion private. We are to proclaim God’s glory in every area of life. 

Our Easter celebration should be the loudest proclamation of God’s glory throughout Christendom and the world. Instead, many today are willing to place the resurrection of Christ below the world’s celebration of chocolate and rabbits. Can the judgment of God be far behind?

Look carefully at the cards, candy and decorations you choose this year. What are you proclaiming to this world? Is it Easter in your home?

*2Cor 6:14-17 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (v15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (v.16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (v.17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you…. 

*James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 

**I John 4:4 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. 

**John 17:15,16 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.(v.16) They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.