to do with the
Easter Bunny?
By STEVE RUSSO
NASHVILLE - There
will come a time in the life of every parent when he or she will
have to decide what to do with the Easter Bunny. For most it will
come sooner rather than later, especially if you have young children.
What is the right thing to do with this soft, cuddly animal with
long ears that appears to deliver baskets of goodies and colourful
eggs on Easter? Must we choose between Jesus and the Easter Bunny?
There is always advice readily available when it comes to cultural
issues like the Easter Bunny. I was being interviewed on a radio
show about a book on Halloween when Joyce called the show. "I
don't have anything to do with something unless it's in the Bible,"
she said.
I replied, "Joyce, do you drive a car? Do you use a telephone
or electricity in your home? These things aren't mentioned in
the Bible. I appreciate your zeal to want to remain biblically
focused, but that reasoning is not only faulty, it's also not
what God is trying to communicate to us in his Word about life
in the 21st Century."
There is an excellent principle from the Bible that should serve
as our foundation for the decision-making process regarding the
Easter Bunny. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:31: "So whether
you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of
God."
God must permeate our lives so that we do all for His glory. We
must always keep questioning ourselves, "Is what we are doing
glorifying God?"
So what are our options when it comes to the big rabbit and Easter?
We can simply not participate in anything at all associated with
the Easter Bunny. This is certainly a valid option, but it presents
a problem that will need to be dealt with if you have younger
children.
The Easter Bunny is a very big part of the Easter season in our
culture. Kids will want to know why they cannot do what their
relatives, friends at school and others in the neighbourhood are
doing with the Easter Bunny. And how come they did not receive
a basket from the Easter Bunny filled with candy and colourful
eggs? This is definitely not an insurmountable problem.
However, is it possible to allow children to have the Easter Bunny
as part of their holiday tradition and not miss out on the real
reason for celebrating Easter? I think it is.
Let us remember that it is extremely difficult to make the connection
between the modern-day Easter Bunny and ancient pagan rituals.
Before we get too carried away about holiday traditions, let us
remember all the things that are such an integral part of our
culture, things like birthday cakes and even calendars and the
days of the week - all of which have pagan roots. Make sure you
are looking at the big picture and being consistent in the process.
Choose your battles carefully.
Our main concern must be keeping what Jesus accomplished through
His death and resurrection, the main focus of Easter, and not
letting any holiday traditions, including the Easter Bunny, diminish
the reason for our celebration. It is not necessary to deprive
your children of good fiction so long as they understand the difference
between fact and fiction.
If you are careful and wise in how you incorporate the Easter
Bunny tradition, it can be fun for you and your children and also
provide a great springboard for your family's discussion on why
we celebrate Easter.
Also, be careful about being so opposed to a tradition with which
you may disagree. You may lose sight of what Easter is all about.
Sometimes I think Christians are so busy telling people what we
are against, that we forget to tell them what we are for.
In this case, make sure you are more passionate about sharing
the truth of Easter than you are about sharing what you think
is wrong with it. - religiontoday.crosswalk.com
Steve Russo is an evangelist from Ontario, California, and
host of a TV programme, "24/SEVEN", and radio programme,
"Real Answers". This column is adapted from his new
book Why Celebrate Easter, released by Broadman & Holman,
the trade books division of LifeWay Christian Resources of the
Southern Baptist Convention.
IMPORTANT TO KEEP FOCUSED
'Our main concern must be keeping what Jesus accomplished through
His death and resurrection, the main focus of Easter, and not
letting any holiday traditions, including the Easter Bunny, diminish
the reason for our celebration. It is not necessary to deprive
your children of good fiction so long as they understand the difference
between fact and fiction.'