me Yep, this is me.  Kinda reminds me of the movie, "The Christmas Story" when Ralphie's mom made him try on the pink bunny costume that his aunt had sent!  :)  The difference is that I probably liked wearing mine!  I don't really remember much about this, since I was only 2 or 3 years old!  It was part of our family Easter celebration, yet I'm not sure sure what prompted my mom to dress me like Peter Rabbit!  Looking at it now makes me chuckle, so...kudos for photos that capture those rare moments of our history!!

I grew up knowing plenty about the Easter Bunny and egg extravaganzas.  But it seems the resurrection of Jesus was less emphasized, even though that is what typical traditional churches celebrate on Easter Sunday.  We sang "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and "Up From the Grave He Arose"!  Our Sunday School teacher told us the story and we colored pages that represented an empty tomb.  There was a sermon and usually special music by Aunt Martha or whoever was brave enough to accept the challenge! Church was over by noon and off to grandma's we went for an afternoon of food, family - and eggs!

As I got older, it finally dawned on me what Jesus had accomplished when He indeed rose from the dead - and my heart was captured.  The kids games and egg hunts suddenly paled, though those were a fun part of my early days.

Today I know that Easter was not the "day" in which our Lord actually rose from the dead.  In fact, the name "Easter" actually has much origin controversy.  

According to some research, "Ishtar", which is pronounced "Easter" was first celebrated in honor of a pagan moon-goddes and sun-god and has roots in the story of Nimrod (later called "Baal") in Genesis 10.  Nimrod was killed by an enemy and his body cut into pieces and sent to various part of his kingdom.  After his death, his wife, Queen Semiramis (Ishtar) claimed to have supernaturally conceived a son named Tammuz from the "moon" eggs of her deceased husband.  (known as Ishtar's egg)  Tammuz apparently was fond of rabbits and made them sacred in honor of his father who had been a hunter.  Tammuz was eventually killed by a wild pig, and so Ishtar ordered that a pig must be eaten each year on that day, which happened to be Sunday.  A celebration in honor of her son each year on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox became tradition and included sacred cakes with the marking of "T", and rabbits and eggs were a part of the event.

There are quite a number of variations of this story as well as other stories based upon various gods and goddesses.  There are stories that come from ancient Israel, Greece, Egypt, Assyria, India and more; all of which are anything but Christian in nature and history.  So why do Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on this pagan rooted day?  

There is plenty of evidence that Christians originally celebrated Jesus' resurrection every Sunday (and many - every day!) along with readings from the scripture, psalms and the Eucharist.  But at some point in the first two centuries it became customary to celebrate specifically on one day each year. There were contentious debates about whether it should take place on Jewish passover or always on a Sunday.  It seems the Christians in Asia took the former position and those elsewhere the latter.  However, a church majority officially decided that Easter should always be celebrated on a Sunday with Eusebius of Caesarea being the only written source on the topic.  The issue of which Sunday to celebrate was decided at the Council of Nicea in 325, which decreed that Easter should be celebrated by all on the same Sunday following the paschal moon, and that a particular church should determine the date and communicate it throughout the empire.  The policy was adopted, but Rome and Alexandria used different lunar cycles which continues to this day to contribute to the disparity between the eastern and western dates of Easter.

Complicated, I know!!  There are such vast and varied stories, truths and myths.  They seem to be woven into a tapestry that is difficult to know how to unravel in order to find the truth!  This I do know:  Jesus lived, died and was indeed resurrected!  I believe those incredible truths should be celebrated in our lives daily.  I also enjoy coming together with other believers to commemorate those blessed and incredibly powerful events!  I am not so sure the date by which most western churches have decided to do so were the best choices.  However, if we are truly celebrating Jesus every day, then perhaps what day we come together to do so is of less importance than simply making sure we do.  Symbols such as the egg, the rabbit and the dawn that comes with resurrection of life and the celebration of spring are all reminders of new birth and the need for it in our lives.  If, in fact the pagans used some of those ideas, then perhaps it is time Christians take back the things that were a part of God's creation from the beginning and give honor to He who is the originator of all that is good!  

Jesus life, death and resurrection are what life and eternity is grounded upon.  His accomplishments are of such great importance to us!  Our hope is dependent on whether or not we believe or reject them.  Whatever you might do this Easter holiday, I ask that you might consider the great sacrifice that was made on our behalf through Jesus.  May the powerful and exploding revelation of His victory over death fill you with awe and the realization of His amazing grace!