Easter is More Than a Service...

“It’s an opportunity to reach people who may not attend any other time of year,” says the six page glossy ad that I received today. Silly me. I thought it was a sacred feast day in which we remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Who? Of yeah. Him. His name never appears on any of the pages of this ad. But hey, we want to “worship” 900 people, don’t we (as opposed to worshiping only three Persons)?

As Easter approaches, the crass marketing gets ramped up. We will soon see the embarrassing spectacle of CoWo pastors wearing bunny ears and turning our Lord’s resurrection into something being promoted by the ubiquitous publicity and marketing firm of Fake & Gay.

Easter is indeed more than a service. It is a Divine Service: a literal miracle in which the risen Lord Jesus Christ appears to us, even as He appeared to the Eleven after walking out of His own tomb. He is also present with us, and He has come to give us victory over death and the grave.

“Well, if you believe that sort of thing,” (thank you Miz Grace).

Those of us who do believe that sort of thing treat it as holy and sacred. Yes, there is rejoicing. Yes there are special activities. There must be, for it is the Feast that ends the Fast. It is the greatest Feast of all! But the Feast is treated by some as a mercenary opportunity to grow market share and leverage their return on investment. But for others, it is our hope of eternal life. Again, if you believe that sort of thing.

How sad it is to see our Lord’s resurrection reduced to a marketing campaign or the ecclesiastical equivalent of the late-night furniture salesman wearing a chicken suit.

Lord, have mercy!