A. One day an atheist was complaining to his Christian friend, “You Christians have your special holidays, such as Christmas and Easter and Jews celebrate their special holidays, such as Passover and Yom Kippur, but we atheists have no recognized special holidays. It’s just not fair!”
1. The Christian friend disagreed saying, “How can you say there is no special holidays for atheists, what about April Fool’s Day? The Bible says, ‘The fool says in his heart there is no God.’” (Ps. 14:1)
2. Ouch! I don’t think that’s the best way to respond to an atheist or to anyone else.
3. Our Scripture Reading says that we need to act wisely toward outsiders and that our speech should always be gracious and be seasoned with salt.
B. Whenever Christmas and Easter roll around, people often say to me “I know this is your busiest time of the year” and I then have the opportunity to explain to them that actually, our church practices a simple, biblical Christianity that doesn’t add religious holidays to our schedule because they are not found in the New Testament, and so the holidays don’t impact my schedule as much as it impacts ministers in denominational churches.
1. I explain to them that we do our best to celebrate Jesus every Sunday of the year, which is what the New Testament reveals that we should do.
C. But where did these religious holidays come from and how should we navigate them as individual followers of Jesus and as a church of Christ – a church that belongs to Jesus?
1. To begin with, let’s consider the fact that we live in the United States of America in the third decade of the 21st century and so our national culture has a yearly calendar that impacts the lives of all Americans.
2. I have a yearly calendar that sits under the glass on my desk that I print each year from a website called timeanddate.com and on that calendar are a list of the holidays and observances.
3. The list includes: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter Sunday, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.
4. In our understanding and practice of New Testament Christianity, none of those holidays are biblically, authorizied religious holidays, but all of them are in the collective consciousness of the people of our country.
5. Those holidays impact our work and school schedules to one degree or another and so they impact our personal lives.
6. And so, when we gather as a church on Sundays or Wednesdays near those holidays, it makes sense for us to try to make the most of every opportunity to bring spiritual truth and a spiritual focus to whatever is happening in the culture around us.
7. Our teaching and our prayers often include things related to all of these holidays and observances.
a. While people are thinking about the new year, we often talked about it and pray about it.
b. While people are thinking about racial justice around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we often talked about it and pray about it.
c. While people are thinking about those who have died or served for our country’s independence and freedom, we often talk about it and pray about it.
d. While people are thinking about their mothers or fathers on those holidays, we often talk about it and pray about it.
e. While people are thinking about what they are thankful for around Thanksgiving, we often talk about it and pray about it.
f. And while people are thinking about Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ resurrection around those holidays, we often talk about it and pray about it.
8. But even though we might talk about or pray about the things surrounding those holidays, we don’t turn any of them into a religious holiday that must be followed or observed as a faith requirement.
D. Because the Easter holiday is approaching next week, I thought it would be a good time for us to explore the many Easter traditions that have developed in denominational Christianity.
1. Let’s explore when and how these traditions developed.
2. Let’s explore what these traditions mean.
3. And let’s explore the danger that comes with religious traditions.
E. The Easter traditions have created a number of terms to go with the traditions.
1. The terms include: Easter, lent, ash Wednesday, Holy Week, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Eastertide.
2. It is important for us to know something about these terms and the practices that go with them.
F. Let’s start with the word Easter.
1. I almost titled this sermon “Easter is Not a Four-Letter Word,” but decided I didn’t want to offend or potentially distract from the important truths of the sermon.
a. Some Christians are offended when the terms Easter or Christmas are even spoken, but I don’t really think that is a necessary reaction.
b. Both are just names that have been chosen overtime to refer to specific holidays or the practices that surround them, and the terms mean different things to different people.
c. Neither of them are terms found in the Bible.
2. Someone might disagree to that statement and point to Acts 12:4 in the King James Version.
a. In the verses that precede verse 4, we learn that King Herod had executed James the brother of John and this was so pleasing to the Jews that the King arrested Peter also.
b. Verse 4 reads: And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. (There it is – Easter is in the KJV translation)
c. The use of the English word “Easter” is a mistranslation of the Greek word “pascha” (pos-ka), which everywhere else in the Bible is translated “Passover.”
d. It is quite clear from the text that the Jewish Passover is in view, since Herod was trying to please the Jews who saw those who followed Christ as their enemies, and there was no such thing as an Easter holiday at that time in the 1st century.
3. So where did the term “Easter” come from?
a. The English word Easter, which parallels the German word Ostern, is of uncertain origin.
b. One view, expounded by the Venerable Bede (a British monk in the 8th century), was that it derived from Eostre, or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and fertility.
c. But here is the interesting thing: the only reference to this goddess comes from the writings of the Venerable Bede, that British monk who lived in the late seventh and early eighth century, and so many people think he invented the deity.
4. Eastertide is a term you may not be familiar with, but it refers to the season of Easter that begins on Easter Sunday and lasts until the day of Pentecost, seven weeks later.
5. When did the observance of Easter begin? It began in the late 2nd century, about 200 years into the existence of Christianity.
G. Now let’s talk about Lent and Ash Wednesday.
1. Neither lent nor Ash Wednesday are found in the New Testament, but were invented by church leaders hundreds of years after Christianity began.
2. Lent is the solemn Christian religious observance in the liturgical year commemorating the 40 days Jesus Christ spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan.
a. The Lenten period is a time of fasting and regret for one’s sins in preparation for Easter.
b. In Western churches (Roman Catholic and others), Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, six and a half weeks before Easter.
c. In Eastern churches (Greek Orthodox and others), Lent begins on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter and ends on the Friday that is nine days before Easter.
d. The tradition of Lent can be traced back to the Nicaean Council of 325 AD.
2. As I mentioned a minute ago, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent for many and is a day of fasting and mourning for sin.
a. Using the biblical idea of using ashes as a symbol of mourning, people receive ashes on their forehead in the sign of the cross.
b. The traditions of Ash Wednesday originate with an order from a Pope in 11th Century (1091 AD).
c. And so, Ash Wednesday was added to the tradition of lent 1000 years after Christianity began.
H. Now let’s talk about what is called Holy Week.
1. “Holy Week,” in the tradition of many denominational Christians, is the week between Palm Sunday (which is today on the calendar) and Easter Sunday.
2. On each of the days of Holy Week there is a focus on and celebration of what took place in the life and ministry of Jesus on that day.
3. So, the schedule of “Holy Week” looks like this:
a. Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem
b. Holy Monday, commemorating Jesus’ cleansing of the temple
c. Holy Tuesday, commemorating Jesus’ teaching in parables
d. Holy Wednesday (also called Good Wednesday or Spy Wednesday), commemorating Judas’s betrayal
e. Maundy Thursday (also called Holy Thursday), commemorating the institution of the Eucharist (Lord’s Supper)
- “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum,” or commandment, reflecting Jesus’ words: “"I give you a new commandment.”
f. Good Friday, commemorating the Passion and death of Jesus
g. Holy Saturday, commemorating Jesus’ burial
h. Easter Sunday, celebrating Jesus’ Resurrection
4. Two years ago, in 2022, I preached a sermon series on the last week of the life of Jesus and so we devoted a Sunday to discuss each of the days of Jesus’ last week before His resurrection.
a. I think that series was a rich and helpful study for us as followers of Christ.
b. It is always a good thing for us to think about the ministry of Jesus, and especially His crucifixion and resurrection.
I. But here’s an important point and a critical distinction: there’s a big difference between studying and appreciating the life and ministry of Jesus and creating special religious observances to commemorate Jesus’ life and ministry.
1. The second we formalize any religious rituals that God has not commanded and authorized, then we have abandoned biblical Christianity for a man-made Christianity.
2. And even if we thought that a Lenten period and a “Holy Week” would be a helpful for Christians for many reasons, once they are put in place, they tend to take over and become as important or more important than biblical Christianity.
3. Many people judge the churches of Christ to be less than faithful, not because we are unbiblical, but because we are non-traditional.
4. Some people reject us saying, “There is no way you can be the true church because you don’t follow the church calendar and hold the religious holidays.”
5. But guess what? The church calendar and the religious holidays are not found in the pages of the New Testament.
6. How sad it is to me that some people have the mistaken idea that as long as they go to church on Christmas and Easter and observe Lent, then they are okay in God’s sight.
7. But that’s how man-made traditions and man-made celebrations can become the focus and the critical requirements in people’s minds.
8. And how sad is it that some of these traditions become self-serving – like telling people the only meat they can eat on Fridays during lent is fish, and then selling fish dinners to people during lent for a profit.
9. That sounds a little like what was happening at the temple that upset Jesus so much.
J. For me, and for those of us in churches of Christ, we only believe and practice the express will of God the Father.
1. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus said: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. (Mt. 7:21).
2. God has communicated His will to us through Jesus and the inspired writers of His Word.
3. The teachings of Jesus and His inspired writers warn us about adding to and going beyond God’s Word and following the traditions of men.
4. Quoting Isaiah the prophet, Jesus declared: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. They worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines human commands.” (Mt. 15:8-9)
a. These man-made religious holidays, with all of their man-made rituals and traditions, become doctrines that must be followed to be “faithful.”
5. The apostle John wrote: Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching but goes beyond it does not have God. The one who remains in that teaching, this one has both the Father and the Son. (2 John 1:9)
6. In Jude 1:3-4, we read: Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. For some people, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth; they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into sensuality and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord.
a. Here was Jude, writing before the end of the 1st century, imploring people to hold to the truth that had been delivered, because there were already people infiltrating the church teaching things contrary to the truths about Jesus and grace.
b. This teaches us to be on guard against ideas and practices that are beyond or against the faith that was delivered once and for all.
7. The apostle Paul had these serious words to say about changing the gospel: But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, a curse be on him! As we have said before, I now say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, a curse be on him! (Gal. 1:8-9)
8. The apostle John concluded the book of Revelation with these words: I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, which are written about in this book. (Rev. 22:18-19)
a. I think it is fitting that God inspired the apostle John to close the book of Revelation which is the last book of the New Testament with a warning about adding to or taking away from God’s Word.
K. And so, as disciples of Jesus, we seek to practice a biblical Christianity that believes and does only what is commanded or displayed by example in the New Testament.
1. When we look at the original church and first Christians, we see that the resurrection meant everything to them.
2. Paul wrote: If Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith (1 Cor. 15:14)
3. The resurrection was too important to Christianity and to early Christians to emphasize it only once a year, and that’s why they met every Sunday and celebrated Jesus.
4. Therefore, when it comes to religious holidays, like Easter, we do not celebrate Easter by the standards and with the practices of some in the religious world, but we celebrate our Lord’s death, burial and resurrection on the first day of every week as we see in the New Testament (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29).
5. Because Jesus died in the cross for our sins and arose from the dead, we have the hope of eternal life – that is something to celebrate every Sunday and every day.
6. Praise God that we have a Savior who couldn’t be stopped by death or confined to the grave!
L. Because so many people in our world are thinking about Easter, because of the holiday that it is on our calendar, it is a particularly good time for us to share the good news about Jesus with them.
1. Even those who focus primarily on the secular traditions of Easter, like: the Easter bunny, colored eggs, jelly beans and chocolate bunnies, even they tend to recognize that the holiday is somehow related to Christianity.
2. This gives us the opportunity to explain who Jesus is, the importance of His death, the good news of His resurrection, and the uniqueness and blessing of biblical Christianity.
3. Next Saturday, we will be holding our annual outreach event called Easter Eggstravaganza which will draw people from our community who have lots of different ideas about what Easter is, but it gives us an opportunity to point them to the truths about Jesus and His church.
4. By holding this event, we do what the apostle Paul did when he spoke to the people of Athens and said, “I see that you have an alter ‘to an unknown God,’ let me tell you about that God who is unknown to you.” (Acts 17:23)
a. By holding this event, we are saying to our community: “Because you are interested in Easter, allow us explain to you what the resurrection of Jesus really means and why it is important to follow Jesus.”
5. In this way, we are trying to put into practice what Paul said that he tried to do, which was to become all things to all people to win them to Christ.
a. Paul wrote: 19 Although I am free from all and not anyone’s slave, I have made myself a slave to everyone, in order to win more people. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law—though I myself am not under the law—to win those under the law. 21 To those who are without the law, like one without the law—though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ—to win those without the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings. (1 Cor. 9:19-23)
6. And we are trying to follow the instruction of Paul: 2 Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, 4 so that I may make it known as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Col. 4:2-6)
7. Let’s pray that God opens doors for the message, that we will make the most of every opportunity, and that when we open our mouths our words will be full of grace, love, and truth.
