Should Christians Celebrate? Part I--Did Christ Eat Rabbit?

Well, Resurrection Day has come and gone—as we can all tell from the chocolate rabbits and plastic eggs lining our local clearance aisles. So am I the only one missing a connection between the cross and the bunny?

 Christ fed the multitudes, but I think he used fish—and they did eat bread at the Last Supper, but I don't see loaves of Mrs. Baird's hidden among the green cellophane at Wal-Mart. Let's see, we're getting closer. . . after He was crucified, they gave Him some nasty wine, and when He rose and appeared to the disciples, I know He ate something. Maybe that's where the eggs come in—or did he eat rabbit?

 Um—nope. It says He ate fish again. Huh. I'd expect to at least see some goldfish crackers in the purple baskets. That would make sense.

 Oh, wait. That's the Easter Bunny, not the Resurrection Day Bunny. Never mind, sorry. My bad. I think I have it now—two holidays colliding on the same day?

 It sounds right, but that can't be it. No, certainly not. Because how does that explain this?

 
                                              Easter Christian Graphics 


 I am so confused.

 From what I've heard, I'm not the only one who is wondering or has wondered in the past why we celebrate the way we do, and whether or not the benefits outweigh the effort. Does God like holidays? Does He like ours? And if He does...does He like the way we're celebrating them?

 This is a topic which has become increasingly important to me, and I quickly realized that one blog post wasn't going to suffice for everything I wanted to look at. So I hope you'll return for the second installment of my series 'Should Christians Celebrate?' and I'll give you my thoughts on whether or not God approves of holidays.

Pickled in Christ?

I found this gem in my Greek New Testament Lexicon while researching baptism for my husband. It can, I believe, be safely asserted that I have never heard salvation explained in quite this way before...

"'The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo [vs. 'bapto'] is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words.

Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapto) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in asolution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change.

When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. e.g.Mark 16:16. 'He that believes and is baptised shall be saved'. Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle!'

(Bible Study Magazine, James Montgomery Boice, May 1989.)"

A joyous Resurrection Sunday to all of my fellow Pickles in the Lord!

(Photo credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pickle.jpg)