by Noel Walker
Have you ever wondered why the date for Easter keeps changing each year? The
reason has to do with the Jewish calendar. Jewish New Year (celebrated as Passover) is observed at sundown on the evening of the first full moon after the first day of Spring (vernal equinox). Jesus was celebrating Passover with his disciples Thursday night when he was betrayed. Jesus was crucified on Friday (Good Friday) and rose from the dead the following Sunday. Because it’s based on a lunar calendar, the date changes every year. Because of the way the full moons happen, next year Easter falls on March 31st.
The name “Easter” comes from a pagan festival, observed long before Christ, which derives its name from Ishtar, a Babylonian idol goddess whose Anglo-Saxon name was Eastre. In Babylon, round cakes imprinted with the cross (a sign of life to the Babylonians) were made.
The word “Easter” does not properly occur in the Bible, (although the King James Version has it in Acts 12:4 instead of “Passover.”) So why do we observe Easter? We know from Scripture that God’s desire is that Christ’s death upon the cross and his subsequent resurrection be remembered every week. This is what the early church did (Acts 20:7). The resurrection upon the first day of the week is undoubtedly the reason for early Christians assembling on that day rather than the Sabbath. The early church found in the Passover, and specifically in the death and resurrection of Jesus, a substitute for the life-connections of the pagan holiday Easter.
An annual celebration of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is a glorious opportunity for us to share the reason for the hope that we have. Perhaps you saw the front page article in Newsweek this week titled, “Christianity in Crisis: Why we should ignore politics, priests, and get-rich evangelists and just follow him.” Easter is an opportunity for us to discuss who Jesus is and why his resurrection matters to us.
When you talk to people about Jesus make sure to mention that we celebrate the resurrection not just at Easter but every week when we share a communion meal together. When we pass the bread and the fruit of the vine each Sunday we preach a sermon to each other. Paul says we, “proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Cor 11:26) The early church commemorated Jesus’ death and resurrection every week when they assembled. We are a community of believers where Easter happens 52 weeks each year.


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