The ministry is growing, our Spanish classes are coming to an end, we're gearing up for a busy summer of ministry with teams from the States, and of course our kids are counting down to the last day of school. But now, in this newsletter, we want to introduce you to some of our little friends! As you know, we currently have a pre-school for the 4 year old children from batey Lima and batey Piñones. There are over 20 little students right now and we look to add more next year so... WE NEED YOUR HELP! Right now, missionaries have been able to cover the cost of the preschool but as it continues to grow, we need others to step up and partner with these kids! So, here it is! Our Freedom Sponsor a Child Program!Pre-School Kids!What does my Sponsorship do?Sponsoring a child changes a child’s life. Freedom Missionaries are committed to seeing children grow up to glorify God with all that they have. Your sponsorship enables children to receive a good education in an environment where they will be loved and encouraged. These children are learning in both English and Spanish which will provide them with more opportunities as they reach adulthood. You will be able to encourage your child through letters and, if you would like to, you can come for a visit and meet him or her in person!Pre-School Kids!!Will my child write to me?Yes – three times per year, the student’s teacher will help them to write to you. Keep in mind that our students are pre-school age and so their correspondence will be appropriate to their age level.How much does it cost?$50/month. While this is higher than other organizations, Freedom is providing for students education. Thinking about it from that perspective, students are receiving a bi-lingual, Christian education for $600/year. Pre-School Kids!!How does Freedom insure that my support actually benefits the children?Our missionaries raise their own support and so we have no administration type expenses. Your support goes directly to providing for the educational opportunities of the children with whom we work. It may include such things as: national teacher salary, books, materials, vitamins, transportation, a snack, etc. The entirety of the sponsorship enables children to get a good education. Again, we encourage you to take a trip with us and come and see what is happening in the life of your child.Pre-School Kids!How do I get started?Click here: Freedom Sponsor a Child Program! Complete the donation page noting $50 as a recurring monthly gift or $600 as a recurring yearly gift to Freedom International Ministries Then, in the comment box indicate the name of the child you would like to sponsor or, if you’d prefer, we can select a child for you. Lastly but certainly not least! A huge Thank You to all who prayed and gave towards our Vehicle goal. As you can see, our Vehicle goal was accomplished and now we focus on the Land! We have a $21,308 matching gift that we need to take full advantage of. What can you do in partnering with us? Please pray, give or pass the word on to others!
Guest Sermon SeriesRev. Robert D. ShofnerSt. John's UCC- Boonville Indiana One thing that basically everybody in our society agrees with today ... whether we’re liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, Christian, atheist, whatever ... the majority of people today would agree that our nation is in a state of moral decline. What is the cause of this crisis of values in our society? Two words. Truth decay. The fact is, we no longer value the truth in America. Instead, we value convenience ... is it easy? And we value pragmatism ... does it work? People don’t really care about the truth. In fact, many question, “Is there such a thing as truth?” They say, “What I really want to know is ... does it work and is it easy? And if it works in my life, and it’s easy, I don’t care of it’s true or not ... that’s good enough for me.” This represents a major shift in values over the last fifty years in our society. Then, there was almost universal agreement about what was truth, what was right, and what was wrong, and what was truth. Today, though, is very different. There are many in our society today who say there is no such thing as right and wrong; there are no standards by which you can evaluate your life or your behavior. Why is it that we went from general agreement on “This is true” to where we are today? What happened? We were sold a bill of goods. We fell for three very destructive philosophies that have replaced truth in our society. The first is individualism. Individualism basically says, “I live for myself. Only I can be the standard for my life. Only I can judge what’s really true. Only I can judge what’s right or what’s wrong. And you don’t have any right telling me what’s right or wrong or true.” This is nothing new. Individualism has gone on in nations for thousands of years. In fact, a long, long time ago, Israel fell into this same trap. Why? Judges 21:25, “In those days Israel had no [authority] so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” Does that sound vaguely contemporary? “I’ll just do whatever I think is right! And since there is no authority, no rules, no standards, no absolutes, I can do whatever I want.” That’s an easy philosophy to hold on to because it means I never have to feel guilty. Because I don’t have to measure up to your standards, and if you say, “This is right.” ... Well, that may be right for you, but ... for me ... I am an individual and I run my own life. The result of that in the nation of Israel was anarchy and chaos ... and that will be the result in our country if we keep heading off that way. Because anything goes. The only thing that matters is me. The second philosophy that we’ve bought in to is called secularism. Secularism can be summarized in three words, “God is unnecessary.” It doesn’t mean I don’t believe there is a God ... “Oh, I believe in God” ... I just don't need Him in my life. And we have been systematically removing God from every area of public life. Out of the schools, out of the government, out of the media. God is unnecessary. Fifty years ago most school rooms had the Ten Commandments hanging on the wall. Fifty years ago most classes began with prayer. Fifty years ago more people went to church than didn’t go to church. Today, it’s exactly the opposite. Obviously there’s no Ten Commandments or prayer in schools. And the majority of people don't go to church. So where are they getting their morals? Jerry Springer? ... where you take the most bazaar creatures found on the planet, put them on stage, and say, “This is normal!” Drag biker queens from Mars who are Nazi feminists. Amazing. And the audience sits there and says, “Oh, yeah, this is great.” The number one purveyor of values today is not God or the Bible or church or even parents. It’s television. Secularism, where God is made unnecessary, is talked about in the Book of Romans, chapter 1 where it says, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped created things rather than the Creator.” (Romans 1:25) That last part is called “materialism.” When we worship things rather than the God who created everything. That’s why there will be more people at the river or casino today rather than worshipping God. A lot of people worship their boat, or bike, or house, or career ... anything that is created, rather than worshipping the Creator. So God is unnecessary and I live for myself. The third philosophy that we’ve fallen prey to is called relativism. It can be summarized in two words, “no absolutes.” The idea behind relativism goes like this. “You know, what’s true for me may not be true for you. And what’s true for you may not be true for me. Therefore, what’s right for you may not be right for me, and what’s right for me may not be right for you. And nobody can say what’s right or wrong, because all truth is relative.” Again, that’s a great way to avoid guilt, because we can always say, “Well, that’s your standard.” This belief is revealed in a lot of familiar phrases, like: “It doesn’t matter what you believe, as long as you sincerely believe it.” Whenever I hear that, I want to say, “Oh, really?” Let’s say, after church, you head out to Louisville and get on the freeway. And you start up what you sincerely believe to be the “on” ramp. But the truth is ... it’s really the “off” ramp. Now, is sincerity enough to keep you from having an accident? No. Does the truth matter in that situation? Absolutely. So, you’re driving up this “on” ramp, which is really an “off” ramp, and some guy is driving off the freeway ... he rolls down his window, and yells at you, “Wrong way!” And if you believe in relativism, you say, “Well, who are you to tell me what’s wrong? Who made you the judge of my life? It may be true for you, but it may not be true for me. For you, this may be an “off” ramp; for me, it’s an “on” ramp. So, don’t be so judgmental and narrow minded!” A little secret ... when people tell you the truth, they’re not judging you, they’re being kind. There are very few people today who will level with you and tell you, “Look, you’re going down the wrong track. You keep it up, you’re going to blow it. You’re headed for a major head-on collision.” The people who tell you the truth are those who love you. Another phrase that’s common to relativism is this: “There are no absolute truths in life.” In one of my college classes, the professor stood up in front and said, “There are no absolutes in life.” I raised my hand and said, “Are you absolutely sure about that?” Don’t ever let anybody “con” you with pseudo-intellectualism. “There are no absolute truths.” That is not only illogical, it’s irrational. It’s illogical, because that statement in itself is an absolute. “There are no absolutes.” You just stated one, which means it’s wrong. (Think that through, now.) You cannot make an absolute statement that there are no absolutes. That’s illogical. And it’s irrational, because the fact is, the whole world proves that the world is built on things you can depend on because they are absolutely true. For instance, there is an absolute truth called gravity. What if, say every eight or nine minutes, God turned off gravity? We’d all be floating around the ceiling. One of the reasons we build chairs is because we can depend on gravity to pull us down and something needs to hold us up. Let’s say you come down with bronchitis. The doctor gives you a prescription, you take it to the pharmacist, and she gives you medicine for schizophrenia. You say, “I don’t need this!” “Well, there are no absolutes, so I thought this medicine would be as good as any other. In fact, you look a little neurotic, so I thought you should take this. And I thought that the dosage was little weak ... it’s prescribed for 80 milligrams ... so I thought I’d up that to 3,000 milligrams. It may kill you, but I don’t really care, because everything is relative, and truth is evasive.” When you go to a pharmacist, are you interested in absolute truth? Yes. You want just the right amount of just the right medicine, because not every medicine will do, and every medicine is not equal. Truth is narrow, folks. And God wants us to know the truth. In our society today, which is dominated by relativism, the highest value is tolerance. And we value tolerance more than truth. We don’t want to say the truth, because we may offend somebody, they may disagree with us. So, what we’re supposed to do is tolerate each other. The worst sin in our society is to be intolerant. The worst thing to be called is “judgmental.” “You’re narrow-minded, judgmental, intolerant.” Friends, it’s not judgmental to tell the truth. The word “tolerance” has been re-defined by our society. Look it up in the dictionary, and you’ll find, “The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others.” Even if one disagrees with those beliefs or practices. The Bibles teaches that, as believers, we are to be tolerant. We should never treat people as less than human. Even the worst criminal ... or the person with the most immoral lifestyle ... we are to treat them with love and dignity. Jesus did. Jesus accepted people without approving of their lifestyle. He didn’t say, “Do whatever you want, it doesn’t matter.” It does matter. But He treated them with dignity. So, we’re called to be tolerant ... in the old meaning of the word. Now tolerance means that every idea is equally valid, equally true, and that every lifestyle is equally right. That is not true. That is false. It is not true that every lifestyle is equally valid. It is not true that every thought or idea or belief is equally true. Because truth is narrow. The ultimate expression of this new definition of tolerance is called “Political Correctness.” God has something to say about that. Ephesians 4:17-19, “They are hopelessly confused ... Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God. They don’t care anymore about right and wrong.” They just don’t care. You see, some people are so open-minded their brains fall out. And some open minds need to be closed for repair. They’re not even thinking. Think, people! Don’t be conned by these pseudo-philosophies that lead to a dead end. That’s the cause. So, what’s the cost? What’s the cost of not having any standards, not having any values, and not even agreeing on what’s true, right, and wrong. The cost is ... our culture is collapsing. And it’s amazing to me that the people who are noticing this are not the religious leaders, but the secular press. A great book clearly addressing all this is The Enemy at Home by Dinesh D’Sousa. In our magazines, a couple of cover stories ... “Everybody’s Lying ... Honest!” “Busybodies and Crybabies. What’s Happening to the American Character?” That’s a good question. The answer is found on another magazine cover, “The Generation That Forgot God.” That’s what happened. And if there is no God, then there is no standard of truth; and if there is no standard of truth, then anything goes. Ever play Scrabble? Let’s say you invite me over for a game of Scrabble, and I come up with the word “Snipple-fritzer.” And you say, “That’s no word.” I say, “It’s a word to me. And it’s worth 57 points! Because it uses the ‘Z’.” At that point, we have to go to an objective authority called “Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language.” And if “Snipple-fritzer” is in that dictionary ... I don’t care what you think ... I get the points. But, if it’s not in the dictionary ... it doesn’t make any difference if I like it or not, it’s not a word ... I don’t get the points. The Bible, God’s Word, tells the truth. There’s a lot in the Bible that I don't understand ... there’s a lot that’s not easy to do. But it is the truth. Because it came from God. And if we say something that’s contrary to the truth ... guess who’s wrong? Isaiah 5:20, “Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark.” God is not mocked. Whatever we sow, we’re going to reap. And what we see happening today is the reaping of what we’ve sown over the years. “A nation without God’s guidance is a nation without order.” Proverbs 29:18 To wrap this up, the question is not, “How can I change society?” but rather, “How can I live a life of value in a world that can’t even decide what’s right and wrong? And how can I raise my children with values when their teachers can’t teach basic values of what is right and wrong because of individualism, secularism and relativism? What do I do?” Psalm 11:3 says, “When the foundations of life are undermined, what can good people do?” Here’s the cure ... rebuild the foundation. Rebuild the foundation of your life, your family, your business. And that means start with God. Why? Because God is truth. What makes something wrong? Because we say it’s wrong? No, because it’s anti-God. It’s against His character. God is honest, so when we’re dishonest, it’s wrong. God is faithful, so when we’re unfaithful, it’s wrong. God is just, so when we’re unjust, it’s wrong. When we are different from the character of the Creator who made us ... it’s wrong. When we are like the character of the Creator who made us ... it’s right. That make sense? That’s how we decide what truth is. Proverbs 2:9, “God shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time.” Just one last thing. Each of us wants to make a choice: What will my standard be? What I think? What the world says? The values of individualism, secularism and relativism? Or God’s Word? Let‘s bow our heads: Father, I’m so thankful that You always tell the truth. It’s not always easy to hear, but it’s always the truth. Today, may we be people who say, “My standard for deciding right from wrong, for deciding what’s true, is God. Not public opinion, and not even what I feel is right, or even what’s convenient. Help us to build our lives on values that last.” And the people said, “Amen.”
Guest Blog by Rev'd Dr. Todd SteppFacebook is an interesting phenomenon. A number of you know well about the pros and cons of it. On the one hand, people can let it become a royal waste of time. They can be consumed by a “virtual world” and sink further and further away from the real world. On the other hand, it can be a great place to keep up with friends from high school, college, church and work. It can be a way to keep in touch with people from around the country and even the world. Facebook can be a great place to encourage people in their faith and find encouragement in your own faith. - And, apparently, Facebook can be credited (or blamed) for resulting in this article!You see, this article is my response to two different posts from my Facebook “friends.” The first post was one of those “copy this and post it to your status” type of posts. - By and large, I don’t really like those. Much of the time they imply or out and out declare that if you don’t copy and paste it, somehow you aren’t really a Christian, or you’re ashamed of Jesus. - By God’s grace, I am a Christian, and I am not ashamed of Jesus . . . but I don’t like those types of posts, and I don’t copy, re-post, or forward them. - Having said that, I’m about to re-post it here(!):Facebook challenge. . .During this couple of weeks before Easter, I am out to prove that my friends will repost, I hope I am right!!! Easter is not about bunnies and chocolate eggs. Let’s lift up God’s name and make a statement!! When Jesus died on the cross he was thinking of You and Me. If you are not ashamed to call Jesus Christ your savior, copy and repost. I’m not ashamed.The second Facebook post comes from a friend from high school. In this post, she is responding to everyone who has been copying and re-posting the post, above. And, oh yeah, I should mention, on her Facebook profile, under “Religious Views,” she self-identifies as “Wiccan/Pagan.” And, unlike some, it seems that she has read a bit on the subject, and she is, therefore, often able to offer some informed critiques (sometimes stinging critiques!) of some who claim to be Christians. - Here is her response to the post, above:For those posting the thing about Easter not being about bunnies and chocolate, you’re half way right. It’s not about the chocolate, even though the ancient Azte[c] people thought of chocolate as an [aphrodisiac]. Easter is a Pagan fertility holiday meant to celebrate the return of life to the earth during Spring. Rabbits, bunnies if you like, are extremely fertile, and eggs are also symbols of fertility.She goes on to comment: “In particular, it is a Celtic Pagan holiday, though other ancient civilizations around th[e] world have had their own version of it.”So who’s right? What are we to make of this? Is Easter really a Pagan holiday, or a Christian Holy Day? What about all of those bunnies and Easter eggs? Are they Pagan or Christian or secular?When we take a good, hard, honest look at it, I would suggest that both, those who have made the first post, and my friend from high school, are correct. - “But how can they both be correct?” you may ask. And am I, a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, saying that Easter is a Pagan day? - Well, let’s take a look.“Ben” Obi Wan Kenobi once told Luke Skywalker (in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi) that, “. . . many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” - It really sounds a lot like a post-modern denial of any absolute truth. Nevertheless, our position (our point of view) and the position (or point of view) of the person we are addressing does make a difference.It is clear that the original Facebook post was intended to address the issues of the secularization and the commercialization of a Christian Holy Day, viz., Easter.Most of us like candy, I think. It may not be good for you, but, often times it sure tastes good! However, for a number of people, especially children, Easter is looked at solely as a time when they get Easter Baskets filled with candy. It is a time for hunting eggs filled with . . . candy, and, also, the possibility of winning prizes. Then, of course, for those who do attend worship on Easter Sunday, there is the “need” to purchase new, Easter clothes. - Easter has become a huge money making event. It has become commercialized.Likewise, it is a fact that many families, inside and outside of the Church, celebrate Easter. This is the case, very much like it is the case for Christmas. You see, just as one can celebrate Christmas with trees, decorations, reindeer, Santa Clause and presents, one can celebrate Easter with bunnies, Easter baskets, and eggs; all without the mention of Jesus (save in the name “Christ-mas”). Easter, like Christmas, has not only become commercialized, it has also become secularized.To this reality, a number of people on Facebook have declared, “Easter is not about chocolate and bunnies, it is about the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!”But then, in walks my friend and a growing number of people just like her. She is not the secularist, or the one promoting commercialization. She hears the protests of my other Facebook “friends,” but she hears it from the “point of view” of a Wiccan/Pagan. And, in doing so, she brings to light certain aspects of the Easter celebration about which many Christians may not even be aware. Why is there such a thing as an Easter Bunny? Why Easter eggs, and why do we even call it Easter? She wants us to know the answer to these questions. In fact, reading between the lines, it maybe that she (or, at least a number of contemporary Pagans) is not too happy that we Christians have “stolen” this “Pagan celebration.”Is she right in her claims? - Well, to large extent, she is! - But before you pull out those stones, let me talk a bit about it.First, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus by the Church was not “stolen” from any Pagan group. Since the resurrection of Christ is central to the Christian faith, there should be no surprise that its celebration has existed from the earliest days of the Church. In fact, even in the New Testament, we see evidence of the celebration of the Resurrection of Christ in Paul’s First letter to the Corinthians (5:7-8). In this passage Paul makes the connection between Christ’s passion/resurrection and the Jewish Passover, or Feast of Unleavened Bread. There, Paul says, “. . . For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival” (NRSV)1.In fact, it should be noted that, outside of the English speaking world, the celebration is still called by the ancient name which Christians used for centuries. It is still referred to as the Pascha. Pascha is the Hebrew word for Passover. The Greek and Latin languages continued with that same word. Other European languages have used titles derived from it, as well (e.g., French: paques; Spanish: pascua; Dutch: pasen; and Scottish: pask). They can all still proclaim, with Paul, in the midst of the Eucharistic Sacrament, “Christ our Pascha (Passover) is sacrificed for us.” It makes no sense to declare, “Christ our Easter is sacrificed for us.”2As you might be able to tell, I would highly agree with those who would argue that Christians ought to reclaim the ancient terminology over against the English term, Easter. - So, where did this term, Easter, come from, and why does the English speaking world use it in reference to the celebration of Christ’s victory of sin, death, hell and the grave?Well, back to my friend’s post. She is, indeed, correct that the term, Easter, originates from within the Pagan world. It comes as an Old English adaptation of Eastre, which, according to George Gibson, is the name of the Teutonic goddess of spring and dawn.3 In other words, it was connected to a Pagan Spring festival that did focus on the return of life to the Earth. So, what about some of the symbols of Easter?We know that eggs were used in rituals and ceremonies. They were sometimes hung in pagan temples and used for mystical purposes. However, when Christians adopted them as a symbol for the Paschal (Easter!) celebration, they took on new meanings. For some they symbolized eternal life, because they hold the hope of things to come. For others, they symbolized the tomb, which was emptied when Jesus was resurrected. In fact, it is said that early Christians made it a rule that eggs could not be eaten during the 40 days of Lent. It also became customary to decorate the eggs and prepare them as gifts to be given on Easter Sunday. When an egg was exchanged, the giver would say, “Christ is risen,” and the receiver would respond, “Christ is risen indeed!”4My guess is (without doing all of the research) my friend is probably essentially correct about the use of “bunnies,” etc. Certainly, she is correct that ancient civilizations from around the world have celebrated, not only the spring, but also the times of harvest. Perhaps some of those celebrations could be rightly considered Pagan, but some were simply seasonal/cultural celebrations. Even Jewish religious celebrations included seasonal celebrations, as well.But why would Christians take on Pagan practices?To begin, let’s recognize that Easter is not the only example of this practice. A good example (and explanation) is found in the practice of St. Patrick. Patrick was taken as a slave to Ireland. After his escape, he entered holy orders and returned to Ireland as a bishop and a missionary. As the Pagans of Ireland converted to Christ and the Christian faith, Patrick did some very interesting things. He “Christianized” or “sanctified” a number of the things that had previously been associated with their Pagan culture. For example, Patrick built Christian churches for those converts on sites that they had viewed as sacred prior to their conversion. He placed Pagan, “holy” wells under the protection of Christian saints. And he carved crosses on what the former Pagans previously considered to be sacred symbols. - As I said, he “Christianized” or “sanctified” certain aspects of the old, Pagan life of these newly converted Christians.One can look at this practice, to use Obi Wan Kenobi’s words, from more than one “point of view.” From a Pagan point of view, what Patrick did (and what the Church has done) may be viewed as “stealing” their sacred objects, symbols and celebrations (though I would suggest that, in Patrick’s case, the missionary efforts of one former slave resulting in the transformation of a nation could not be construed as “stealing,” but as an example of the grace of God). On the other hand, from the Christus Victor point of view, Patrick’s practice (and that of the Church throughout history) was a demonstration of Christ’s victory over the various gods, which are really no gods at all. And from a pastoral point of view, Patrick (and the Church) assisted the new converts in their new found faith by affirming that God had been at work even in the midst of their previously Pagan (mis)understandings.I would suggest that these types of approaches to various faiths can be seen, even in the pages of the New Testament. St. Paul’s approach to the people of Athens, as recorded in Acts 17:16-34, is a great example. While in Athens, Paul discovered, among the various idols, temples and altars, an altar with the inscription, “To an unknown god.” Paul responded by declaring to the people, “What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you,” and he went on to proclaim to them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He even quoted of their own poets in an affirming manner, pointing them ahead to God in Christ Jesus. In fact, the New Testament, itself, demonstrates that Jesus not only fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, but “filled them full” of new and added meaning.What Paul did, and what the Church has done, fits nicely with what we Wesleyans refer to as Prevenient Grace (the grace that goes before). We believe, as one of my seminary professors used to say, that “God is at all times, in all places, calling all people to be reconciled to God.” Paul recognized, not only in the Athenians desire to look beyond themselves and to worship, but especially in this altar to an unknown god, the Prevenient Grace of God reaching out and drawing them to God’s self.We Christians, especially we Wesleyan types, would do well to look and try to discern where God is at work drawing people by grace. What can we affirm? What is there in other faiths, sincerely held, that we see pointing ahead to Jesus?It seems obvious that Christians encountering certain Pagan objects and practices would see in them the voice of God pointing ahead to Christ, and that many of these various things that were formerly a part of the new Christian convert’s “old life” would be adapted with new, added meaning and significance in Christ. Of course, Christians would see anything that pointed to new, or renewed life, as being symbols of the One who is the Author of Life; the One who promises to us a new life; life abundant and life eternal!Unfortunately, much of the Church (at least, here in the U.S.) has lost this perspective of Prevenient Grace. The first of the Facebook posts, above, demonstrates that our mindset has been to defend and argue against the encroaching secularism and consumerism of our age. I think that there is validity in this. However, I think that the Church can do other things to “keep Christ in Christmas” and Easter. For example, I suggested, last winter, that one way to keep Christ in Christmas is to observe Advent as a season of preparation (rather than being sucked into the secular celebration of Christmas beginning even before Thanksgiving), and then celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas leading to Epiphany. Another suggestion was to “keep the Mas(s) in Christmas,” a well. That is, gather with the Church to worship on Christmas (Eve and/or Day), rather than treat it as just a “family holiday.”For Easter, I would suggest the same kinds of things. Observe the season of Lent. Participate in the Holy Week services of Passion/Palm Sunday, Maundy (Holy) Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil/Sunrise service. In the ancient Church’s great paschal celebration, they viewed the services of Thursday through Easter morning, as one celebration. And then, since Easter is not just one day, celebrate the Great Fifty Days from Easter morning until Pentecost Sunday. - And, of course, reclaim the Paschal terminology. (A bit of a pet peeve of mine is that the Christian radio stations do not seem to help, but rather hinder us in this effort!)Beyond “keeping Christ in” the various Christian holy days, we Christians are going to have to realize that the post-modern, twenty-first century in which we now live is becoming more like the days of the ancient Church than the days of the modern Church. We will encounter, more and more, those around us of various faiths; some are those that we are somewhat familiar with (e.g., Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.), but others are newer to us, though with their own ancient origins (e.g., Wicca and the various forms of Paganism).As we encounter these friends, neighbors and even family members, we are going to have to learn to prayerfully discern where God is already at work drawing them. What can we affirm? At what points can aspects of their faith be seen to point ahead to Christ who is the fullness of God? That is to say, where/what is their “altar to an unknown god,” and where is God’s Prevenient Grace already at work? By prayerfully discerning where God is already at work, we will be in a better position to be able to share with them our faith in Jesus Christ. (And, it should be noted, “sharing” one’s faith with friends, neighbors, family, etc. implies a relationship of love, not an argumentative “drive-by” encounter.)So, what do we conclude? Is Easter a Christian holy day or a Pagan holiday? It “depends greatly on our own point of view.” For my “Pagan” friend, it is, indeed a Pagan celebration. But, for those of us who have experienced new life through the grace of God, by faith, it is the glorious celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Therefore, let us be bold to proclaim: “Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah!!!”________________________________________1. Cf., While, James F. Introduction to Christian Worship. Revised Ed. Abingdon P. Nashville. 1991.2. Cf., Duba, Arlo. “Recovering the Word Pacha” in The Complete Library of Christian Worship, Vol. V: The Services of the Christian Year. Robert E. Webber, Ed. Star Song P. Nashville. 1994.3. Gibson, George M. The Story of the Christian Year. Abingdon-Cokesbury P. Nashville. p. 79-81.4. Faith Connections, Bible Curriculum, Preteen Teacher’s book. Vol. 10, Number3. Bristol House (Word Action). p. 45. 2011.
