Why We Do Not Celebrate Easter
Taken from Reverend Lai’s desk notes in 2009 Translated by Li Yixing
Many important teachings need to be repeated year after year. “Why we do not celebrate Easter” is one of them. This is because many Christians still follow Easter traditions, such as using the Easter rabbit and Easter eggs as gifts. Just as the Apostle Peter solemnly said, “So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have … I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.” (2Peter 1:12-14) Therefore, I must share this precious writing from Rev. Lai’s legacy chest again. May the Holy Spirit establish your faith firmly in the truth of God. Rev. Zheng 13 April 2025
In regions under Christian influence, the Sunday or Monday following Good Friday is usually designated as “Easter”; however, we do not encourage its observation, and this article explains why.
Firstly, in the Bible, the Lord Jesus had instructed us only to remember His death, but never His resurrection. For instance, Luke 22:19-20: “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. ’” As a matter of fact, we follow the practice of the early church by calling Sunday the Lord’s Day, and we celebrate the Lord’s resurrection and worship Him as the living Lord together on every Lord’s Day.
Secondly, being one of the most ancient festivals, this festival existed before the Lord’s crucifixion. It is the “spring festival” of ancient paganisms, a festival to celebrate the return of spring to the land. It originated from Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of romance, fertility and war– the goddess of Mesopotamia, who later became Eastern Europe’s goddess of dawn and spring, known as “Eastre”. Clearly, “Easter” is a name with origins from Chaldeans (Babylon), and it is equivalent to “Ashtart”, their “heavenly queen”. Archaeologists have found evidence from inscriptions that she was the goddess of fertility and war in ancient Babylon.
The Emperor Constantine held the First Council of Nicaea in 325 B.C., officially designating Easter as a Sunday. Despite the relentless debate over “Easter” in church history, the Resurrection is clearly recorded in the Bible; therefore, the existence of an “Easter” is inconsequential to the saints. Moreover, the Lord Jesus will return once more. The political act of designating a day (including Christmas) has little spiritual value. On the contrary, for saints to know clearly that the Lord has resurrected, ascended and will return…that is precious!
Further caution should be taken towards the objects that are frequently associated with Easter in the West, such as the Easter bunny and Easter eggs. Legend has it that Easter eggs are bunny eggs (in fact, bunnies do not lay eggs, and Easter eggs are actually from chickens), and some enjoy painting various faces and patterns on the eggs. These folk practices are not biblical, and if we accept them easily, we will be like what has been described in Psalms 107:27: “They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end. ” We must not give Easter eggs as presents on this Lord’s Day or let children paint Easter eggs during Sunday school. Painting eggs is an interesting handicraft, but we would rather conduct it at other times to prevent non-biblical practices from corroding our young minds.
Under the New Testament, we no longer need to observe the festivals of the Old Testament. Over two thousand years of church history, many new festivals have emerged as well. We believe that it is meaningful to commemorate only Good Friday and Christmas ( but not to observe) ; these two festivals are inevitably linked to paganism, but we do not need to turn them into cumbersome religious ceremonies; It is sufficient to utilise their significance to testify and evangelise. This is the essence of our Baptist spirit. Hence, we do not follow protestant traditions such as Palm Sunday; instead, we mindfully return to the Bible. We do not celebrate Easter, but we remember the true hope of resurrection on the Sunday following Good Friday, and we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and worship Him as our resurrected Lord every Sunday!
Christmas gives us a great opportunity to proclaim the purpose of Christ’s birth to those who seek the truth; Good Friday presents to non-believers the historical truth of Christ’s crucifixion for sinners. The world sees these as religious festivals; we should not follow the flow but rather seek opportunities to be good witnesses to God.
How do we make good use of Good Friday and Christmas? First, avoid worldly practices. For example, we do not need to exchange gifts during Christmas or use candlelight to create a melancholic atmosphere on Good Friday. All we need is the Bible, hymns, and a brief sermon, and we let God’s word do the work.
Secular consumer goods, ranging from cards to CDs, are also abundant during these two festivals. Saints should not splurge during the festivals but rather offer their wealth for the holy work of evangelism. In everything, we must “be alert and of sober mind” (1Peter 5:8). We do not have to criticise Christians who celebrate “Easter”; we can pray for them and remind them when opportunities present. Often, we do things unknowingly, but we can always turn back when reminded.
Remember, we do not mourn on Good Friday but remember Christ’s crucifixion; we do not celebrate Christmas but remember the birth of Jesus Christ.
0 Comments