An Unpopular View

Facebook has had its unpopular dislikes theme running to pass away shelter at home time. It is interesting to see people's uncommon dislikes. If you aren't familiar, it was to list ten things that you don't like that most people do like.
I really don't have very many dislikes and I'd have a difficult time coming up with ten, much less ten things that most other people like.

With Easter behind us now, maybe I'll share an unpopular view of this annual celebration. I get into a bit of a bah, humbug mood around the holiday, particularly during Holy Week. It seems we go through this make believe time of imagining that the events of two thousand years ago are taking place in the present. We tell the stories of the last supper, the mock trial, the crucifixion, and the resurrection as if they took place last Thursday night through Sunday morning.
We proclaim God's great love as he sacrifices his son (on Friday). We rejoice in the resurrection on Sunday, and then on Monday ...

... it's back to life as usual.

Yeah, I know it happened 2000 years ago.
And I know it is worth remembering and celebrating.
But it seems like we over emphasize days like Christmas and Easter so that we can allow ourselves to feel good about what we believe without really thinking much about it the other 360 or so days of the year.

The birth of Our Savior -- yeah, it happened 2000 years ago.
His death and resurrection -- same thing.
Both stories are most definitely worth remembering and sharing. But if we aren't living a life that reflects the love of the God that authored these stories -- What's the point of the celebration?
Is it to give honor to the Day without having to give honor to God?

It's probably heresies such as these that are why I'm no longer preaching.

To be fair --
I know of people that celebrated Jesus's resurrection yesterday morning and spent the afternoon preparing food for our unsheltered friends -- just like they do every day.
I know of people that scrambled to find overnight sheltering arrangements and opened their churches because the thermometer dropped below freezing last night.
I know there are people that live lives of love each and every day. These are the people that celebrate God's love and sacrifice by the way they live -- 365 days per year.
The events of 2000 years ago changed their lives!
I want to celebrate the risen Jesus the way they do.

Working on it,
John