Easter more than bun, cheese and fish

 

Oh, that old rugged Cross

So despised by the world

Has a wondrous attraction for me

For the dear Lamb of God

Left His Glory above

To bear it to dark Calvary

- The Old Rugged Cross - George Bennard

 

Walk into any supermarket or shop and the wide array of Easter buns and tins of cheese will tell their own story that Good Friday and Easter Monday are just days away.

No doubt, the cost of fish will skyrocket with the anticipation of a higher demand for the treat, which is a part of the celebration of the holiday.

Easter, like Christmas, has now become totally commercialised, with the younger generation missing out on the real reason for its observance.

Family and Religion rapped with Zebulah Aiken, pastor of the Miracle Tabernacle Free Town Church of God of Prophecy on the issue. She agreed that the message is lost regarding the Easter celebration.

"Even the observance, which, for Christendom, usually starts one week before the Easter weekend - Palm Sunday - is now becoming obsolete," she shared.

According to Aiken, in years past, Palm Sunday would see palm branches being spread at the altar or decorating the walls in the church. It was also a chance to explain to the younger generation the whole process of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey before paying the ultimate price for our sins - dying on the cross.

She said that like Christmas, Easter is considered a very important season for Christendom as it is regarded as the completion of the process that would finally rescue sinners from the shackles of the law.

"The Easter story is the celebration of Jesus being crucified and raised from the dead. It is also the story about God's love for man, where He paid the greatest price to redeem lost souls - offering His only begotten Son," Aiken shared, adding that it be for this reason that it is so important that the message is treasured and passed down from generation to generation and not be diluted.

For her, the sad reality is that there are many who remain sceptical about the truth of the even, which has been vividly captured in the Bible.

"But whether they accept it or not, the Bible cannot lie, and one day, they will all have to accept that there is a Supreme Being that we all have to answer to.

 

REAL STORY LOST

 

Aiken said that even more sad is the fact that many of today's children are not being given the opportunity to learn the real story of Easter.

"They are more excited about school being out on holiday, enjoying bun and cheese, and just having fun. The real significance of the holiday is totally lost on them," she said, also pointing out that they are not alone in this regard as "there are adults, too, who don't even take the time to reflect on that great thing that Jesus did so many years ago".

For Aiken, it is time for Jamaicans to go back to the "old landmark", where reverence was paid to God and the focus was not on the commercial aspect of Easter, but rather on the reason for its celebration.

Jamaica has been plagued by the problem of crime, and many are calling for citizens to repent and get back to God.

For her, this season would be the perfect time for many to reflect on the Easter story which depicts the greatest love of all: God sending His Son in the flesh and allowing Him to be tortured and crucified just so that He could unite the world once more with Him.

"For repentance to take place, then there must be focus on the cross, and what better place for this transformation to take place than at its foot. As we celebrate the Easter weekend, one prayer is that Jesus' sacrifice will not be in vain," she concluded.