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Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship

Welcome to Varied Expressions of Worship

This blog will be written from an orthodox Christian point of view. There may be some topic that is out of bounds, but at present I don't know what it will be. Politics is a part of life. Theology and philosophy are disciplines that we all participate in even if we don't think so. The Bible has a lot to say about economics. How about self defense? Is war ethical? Think of all the things that someone tells you we should not touch and let's give it a try. Everything that is a part of life should be an expression of worship.

Keep it courteous and be kind to those less blessed than you, but by all means don't worry about agreeing. We learn more when we get backed into a corner.

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Opus 2017-117: A Moving Easter; A Stable Resurrection

One of the questions I got in school this week was whether Jesus was born in December.  I am guessing that a Jehovah’s Witness had been at work trying to undermine the beliefs of children who had any Christian background.  They start with Christmas which is an arbitrary date picked by the church and segue into Easter which is rooted in historical facts.

Point of fact:  We do not have any historical reason to pick December 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  The Bible does not say.  All it says is that He was born.  In an effort to educate the masses and make sure that everything was covered, the church picked a day to celebrate the mass of Christ, i.e. Christmas.  They also picked a day to remember the trinity, Pentecost, the coming of the wise men and other points of Christian doctrine and history.  It was all part of the curriculum.

Easter, on the other hand, is rooted in historical context.  It is tied to the Jewish Passover.  The Last Supper was the Passover Seder.  Jesus went from there to the crucifixion.  The confusion comes because the Passover date is determined on the lunar calendar.  Lunar months do not line up consistently with the solar year thus the beginning date of each month moves around.  Since Passover moves, Easter moves.

Dishonest or ignorant people try to take the arbitrary nature of Christmas and transfer it to Easter and thus try to make the resurrection arbitrary.

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  It is the central point of Christian belief.  We are not making a day sacred but emphasizing an event that changed history.

He is risen!  He is risen indeed!

homo unius libri

6 comments:

  1. With changes in calendars, how Passover is determined and how Easter is figured, we may not have it exact, but we have it within a week or two. It's pretty hard to get away from Passover; it's been established for too many centuries.

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    Replies
    1. That is a problem in anything historical. Last week a couple of my students pointed out that one of their textbooks said the Alamo held out for 12 days and another one said 13. Same book. Same copyright. Different number.

      Go figure.

      Grace and peace.

      Delete
  2. P.S. - Hope you have a blessed Resurrection Day.

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  3. He IS risen, indeed!

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    Replies
    1. Amen, Maranatha and blessings.

      Grace and peace

      Delete

Comments are welcome. Feel free to agree or disagree but keep it clean, courteous and short. I heard some shorthand on a podcast: TLDR, Too long, didn't read.