The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
April 8, 2007
In
This Issue:
Welcome
to our Easter Service
by
Steve Klein
Respect
by
Johnny Ramsey
Welcome to Our Easter Service
(A bit of satire for your edification)
There will be no special service today at New Georgia in celebration of Easter. But, imagine with me what we might do and what it might mean if we did have an Easter service.
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We could advertise it as a celebration of Easter. This would mean that we believe that the name Easter is a name worthy of honorable use and descriptive of our activities. Several reference works suggest that the name Easter comes from the Teutonic goddess of spring (Eastre). To her was dedicated a month corresponding to our April. Her festival was celebrated on the day of the spring equinox. Other scholars believe that the name Easter can actually be traced all the way back to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. In either case, by using the name Easter to describe a church service, we keep alive the language and spirit of ancient pagan superstition.
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Our Bible classes could color eggs and hold an Easter egg hunt. William Helm, a professor at the University of South Florida states that, "It appears there was a custom among ancient Egyptians and Romans to give eggs as presents at this time of year. That was intended to insure that the recipient would have a very fertile or productive year." One source records that there was a European Easter tradition that held that if you took eggs that were laid on Good Friday and cooked them on Easter "they would promote the fertility of the trees and crops and protect against sudden deaths." As symbols of fertility and new life, you just can't beat Easter eggs. Also, since Catholics have often given up eating eggs during the period of Lent leading up to Easter, it's important to have many eggs readily available on Easter to enable the deprived to enjoy eating them again.
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We could have a visit from the Easter Bunny. Rabbits and hares have also represented fertility since ancient times. One Easter tradition holds that the Easter Bunny actually lays the Easter eggs while children are not looking. By having the Easter Bunny bring Easter eggs to our children in their Bible classes, we could instill in our children the concept that living things do not bring forth after their kind; this would be a great way to lay the groundwork for them to accept Darwinian evolution.
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We could have a drama production depicting the death and resurrection of Christ. The pageantry of such a production would be sure to attract visitors who find traditional worship assemblies too boring. Making it an annual affair would insure that these visitors would come to church at least once a year, giving them a real sense of connection to the church for which Christ died.
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We could all dress in flashy new clothes. This would demonstrate our belief that our "adornment be merely outward; arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel" (compare 1 Peter 3:3).
These are just a few of the things we could do if the church here had an Easter service. It would provide a great opportunity for the intermixing of human traditions, paganism and carnal appeals into a religious service that any worldly Christian could be proud of.
[Note: This article is meant to address the problems involved in churches celebrating Easter as part of their work; it is not meant to address the activity of an individual separate and apart from the church. Coloring, hunting and eating eggs is not a sinful activity in and of itself. Rabbits are fine creatures. Dramatic productions can teach and entertain. Clothing that is modest is clothing that is appropriate for the occasion.]
-- Steve
Klein
We live in an age that shows little respect for those in authority. Students mock their teachers, cartoonists lampoon presidents, law-breakers sneer and laugh at police, children ridicule their parents and some brethren manifest a lack of reverence for Bible teaching. All of those things violate Scripture! The Bible clearly shows the need for standing in awe of God: "Stand in awe, and sin not&ldots;My heart standeth in awe of thy words. I rejoice at thy word, as on that findeth great spoil" (Psalm 4:4; 119:161-162).
God warns us: "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah&ldots;suffering the punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh and set at nought dominion and rail at dignities" (Jude 7-8). The youth rebellion that produced anarchy on college campuses resulted in the bombing of government buildings and murdering rampages such as that of the Manson gang. I read a book recently, written by one of those vigilantes, that described the killing of innocent people to display their hatred of society and their desire to be aloof from "the structured world" about them.
When men lose regard for God's moral standards, they forget humane treatment of their fellows and wallow in the mire of sadistic behavior. The Old Testament prophets had a lot to say about proper attitudes and actions toward others. Micah put it well: "What doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8). Those principles are precisely what Jesus inculcated into the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5,6,7). Today, we truly need more respect for the following.
Respect for God's Word
A failure to study the Bible is a sure
sign that we do not regard things divine and holy as we should.
Brethren who prefer less Bible sermons and more stories, jokes, human
philosophy and current events ought to find an after-dinner speaker
from the Rotary Club! Are we ashamed of God's will and enamored by
secular reasoning? Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the
gospel" (Romans 1:16). Souls are being lost due to a "famine
in the land, a famine of hearing the word of Jehovah" (Amos 8:11).
Respect for Godly Living
A lack of Scripture in our lives is
evinced by a failure to live like the Bible demands. To abstain from
fleshly lusts is the clarion call of I Peter 2:11 and the passages
before and after the powerful verse tell us to desire "the
sincere milk of the word" and then to live it before our family
and friends. James challenges us: "Wherefore putting away all
filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the
implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21).
Respect for God's Cause
If Christ cared enough for the church to
die for it, we should display a loyalty that knows no boundary (Acts
20:28). The value of lost souls should be constantly in our hearts as
we lovingly show respect for the gospel and the awesome nature of the
final Judgment. Very few people today seem to truly put God's kingdom
first, as we allow the busy pace of secularism to overwhelm our
budget of time, money and energy. Many churches spend more time and
money on sporting events and musical concerts than they do on Bible
study, soul-winning and spiritual edification. Satan is shrewd and
the flesh is weak!
Respect for God's Son
It should be natural for sinful men to
adore the Christ who left the beauty of heaven to come to this earth
and die at Calvary for poverty-stricken sinners (II Corinthians 8:9).
Sadly, we tend to forget the suffering the Savior endured as "He
bore our sins in His body on the tree" (I Peter 2:24). Respect
for our Redeemer should produce within us the gratitude expressed in
II Corinthians 9:15: "Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift."
Reverence, devotion, appreciation and love for these things will make us better people (Psalm 116:12). Out of a heart of adoration for matters sublime and divine, let us determine that we shall never forsake the Lord and His heavenly cause. As a great hymn states:
Out of the ivory palaces,
Into a world of woe,
Only His great eternal love
Made my Savior go.
With reverence, respect and zeal, let us serve God more ardently than we ever have before. Show some respect!
-- Johnny Ramsey
Via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 58, No. 13, March 30, 2007