I say Resurrection Day because the word Easter is used in reference to the spring celebration with eggs and easter bunnies. Resurrection Day rather refers to the holiday we Christians celebrate at the same time, the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He was murdered on a cross by a reluctant Pilate at the insistence of the Jewish leaders who were blinded and could not see that He really was the Messiah they were waiting for as He came in humility rather than in power, to teach rather than to conquer. There will come a day of course when He does finally come to destroy the ones who reject him and build a new Heaven and Earth for Him and His people, but for now we wait and celebrate what He has done so far in offering a way out of the darkness we call sin. That He was resurrected shows all that He has victory even over death, what many think of as the final conclusion to ourselves.
First of course we must remember His death- His unfair trial, His suffering, and his being nailed to a cross in the most brutal form of execution know in those days. Good Friday, as it is known except by school districts that now refer to it as a “non-attendance” day, is the day we remember this horrible death. I of course have the bonus of it being a day-without-pay so I can really feel the suffering. 😛 Kidding of course, but it is a serious day. Our church is actually doing something a little bit different this year. We are still called to attend wearing black, but instead of a drama (I was in it 7 out of the last 8 years!) and a message it is apparently an open-ended service where we can come at any time within a 5-hour window. More on this after Friday as I really don’t know anything more about it.
We are preparing for Easter with the choir and it is coming along nicely. Of course tonight we will probably have a train wreck as we’re told to sing from memory- no sheet music for us when we’re up there! Of course the train wreck will be followed by further improvements as we improve in our confidence of the music and, just as important, will actually be looking at the choir director instead of the music! 😀 And once it’s over, a week of (unpaid) rest follows…
WOW…. memorizing music…. what a concept. Although I could not imagine having to memorize the Requiem I was a part of the other night… all in Latin. I personally do find it considerably easier when the music is memorized.
Well, in venues like musical theatre memorization is a must. For choirs however, there generally isn’t as much requirement for memorization. Most choirs I have been in did not require memorization except a few select instances where a short passage *requires* absolute focus on the conductor or a song that they wanted to put in some movement.
Every holiday becomes commercialized. That is the world we live in… However, I think the commercialization of holidays, such as Easter, is not a bad thing overall. Why? Because even though it dilutes the core meaning of the holiday, it keeps the holiday in the spotlight of an increasingly agnostic society.
Today’s kids may think of Easter and immediately think of Eggs, Bunnies (that sound like chickens — ala Cadbury eggs), and CANDY — but, even if their parents haven’t exposed them to the teachings of the Bible, they still can tell you it has something to do with Jesus.
They may not be taught the story and they may not know who He is, but hearing about Jesus, even as just a sidenote to a candy filled halmark holiday can make kids curious.
Whereas a non-commercialized celebration of Jesus’ life, such as Palm Sunday, they may never even have heard of; keeping Jesus out of their lives completely.
I hear ya. {thumbs up}