Jen and I met at Target to put together an Easter Basket for Ethan. We walked around the (very crowded for a 3:00 on Friday) store for close to an hour among other Easter Basket shoppers, looking for different things to put in a blue and yellow plastic wagon. My thinking was to stay away from candy as Ethan had already been dumped on at school, and he will be getting Easter Baskets from two grandmothers (Tata and Meemaw) and yet another from his auntie. The task was to fill the wagon with little toys, stickers, crayons, coloring pencils, pop-sickle sticks and glue, books, videos, Big-Boy blocks (Legos for ages 4+ that Ethan is certain that he's ready for), coloring books, Sponge Bob fruit-snacks, cereal bars, squirt guns, and, of course, a rabbit made out of solid milk chocolate.
"Mission Possible." We were successful. It cost me 60 bucks. My hunch is that Target jacked the prices for these paper and plastic products made in China just in time for Easter. Supply and demand.
Flash ahead 4 hours.
After having dinner with my aunt and uncle at a restaurant called "Quaker Steak and Lube" (yep, that's the name), ... I am watching the movie, The Passion of the Christ, and getting emotionally wrecked. I have viewed the movie before, but for whatever reason, it just really impacted me last night like it never has before. I cried several times, and I'm not one to shed tears over movies. This will sound like "canned-corn," but my heart literally ached during parts of the movie. My chest felt as tight as a drum, and my throat felt as if it had a plastic egg lodged in the back of it.
Evan Griffin would tell me that this has something to do with "growing spiritually." Evan is usually right.
All said, I had a pretty good friday.
As I write this, though, I'm left wondering:
What does Jesus dying for our sins on the cross and forever changing the world have to do with Easter Baskets?
Really, I'd like to know. Anyone have answers?
4 comments:
great question...here's what I found online at christian-life-advisor.com...(I've always wondered as well):
"Easter baskets grew out of the more out of modern traditions and symbology of Christianity. To Christians, Easter represents the resurrection of Christ. Lent is the season that proceeds Easter and lasts for forty six days prior to Easter Sunday. This season of Lent is begun on Fat Tuesday. This is the last time to party before the season of lent. During the Lent season, Christians believe you must give up something and fast until after Easter. The fast can include giving up meat, eggs, and dairy. The custom of having a large Easter supper represents the end of the Lenten fast. In more ancient times, this large feast was brought to the church in large baskets, hence the connection to treats in an Easter baskets today. This basket was blessed by the clergy much like the ancient Hebrews brought their first seedlings to the temple to be blessed."
not sure if I really "buy" that thinking, though...??? Mostly, I think it's unrelated to the real meaning of Easter.
PS -- tears during the Passion are definitely a sign of spiritual growth... ;-) that's a good thing! Happy Easter!
nothing. easter eggs are a flashback to Pagan rituals, welcoming the spring with a re-birth... eggs viewed as a sign of renewal and rebirth and a new beginning, shedding the winter and re-begining in the new spring. christianity took a spin on it when the religion was formed but it dates back to Paganism and earth religions. Jesus dying on the cross for our sins really doesn't have much to do with easter egg hunts, tho they're fun.
It seems the Easter basket question has been answered, so I won't venture a guess. I don't have any anyways :)
I watched the Passion last night as well. The international church I attend showed it (don't have to worry about "public showing" laws and what not in Nepal). It is an incredibly powerful movie. My only wish is that I would be moved that much when I actually read it from the Word of God. I know why its more moving to actually see it than it is to read it, and I understand that. But I still wish my body would shake with anger, gratitude, disbelief, and love when I read it in the Bible.
But either way, its still a powerful story. What Jesus did is nothing short of a miracle ;)
lo is correct. Even the name Easter is in reference to a pagan goddess. The bunny and eggs are just an evolution of the fertility celebrations.
Side note: The word Easter is used in the KJV Bible and is a blatant mistranslation.
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