It's Like A Funeral Every Sunday

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In a previous post I noted that the church of Christ does not officially celebrate Easter, although many people let their kids dress up and have Easter baskets and Easter egg hunts after church. Some people even object to that, however, and at the church where I grew up, we were treated to an anti-Easter sermon every year. We were exhorted not to celebrate it because it's based on a pagan holiday, and the Bible doesn't tell us to celebrate Christ's resurrection just once a year. Instead, true Christians celebrate it each Sunday when we observe the Lord's Supper.

I was trying to explain this to an acquaintance of mine recently, and when I mentioned the weekly celebration of the resurrection, she asked, "So was each service something joyous and celebratory?" I replied, "No, actually it was more like a funeral. We were told how evil and sinful we were and how we should be ashamed and guilty that Jesus had to die for us in the first place." She mentioned that doing that every Sunday must have been depressing and demoralizing, and it was. When you combined the negative messages with the dirge-like singing and dull sermon, it really was like attending a funeral every Sunday. I never felt much joy or enlightenment. There wasn't much to help me grow or become a better person. In fact, I felt stifled and repressed. Going to church was a chore, something you did to rack up brownie points with God, not something you did out of love or devotion. I'm so grateful that I found a way out and don't have to live like that any more.

On that note, let me wish you all a blessed and joyous Easter, however you choose to celebrate it.

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