Christmas vs. Easter ~ Greg J

“Which is more important, Christmas or Easter?”

That is what I have asked Bible School kids on several occasions over the years. The kids have tended to form two parties:

“Easter is more important! At Easter, Jesus died and rose for us.”

“No! Christmas is more important! No Christmas, no Easter. Also, Christmas is happier than Easter.”

Congratulations to you who developed such insightful kids who did not dwell on comparing Christmas presents with Easter eggs.

I just hope I’m not leading your youngsters to harm by encouraging theological thinking.  Differences on such matters have served as pretexts for burning at the stake! Humanity is violent. Is anyone so surprised that Jesus, saying what he said and doing what he did, would die the way he died?

What surprises me is this: knowing that pain and death lay ahead, Jesus came here anyway. Cartoonist Zach Weinersmith contrasts a happy outcome if Jesus visited somewhere else:

Question: Is Christ’s sinlessness required to save us? If so, then each second of Jesus’ life is a test that Jesus passed. Jesus’ victory over sin is not just at Calvary but also at Bethlehem. Our futures depend on  every minute from the manger to the cross.

Inherit the Mirth - Cuyler Black

Question:  Was Christ emptying himself and being born as a man required to save us? If so, then remembering Christ in the manger is appropriate. Remembering him feeding the 5000 is appropriate. Remembering him asleep in the boat is appropriate.  Remembering him on the cross is appropriate. Remembering him encouraging Mary outside his empty tomb is appropriate. Joyfully remembering him every minute of every waking hour would be exhausting, but appropriate.

I love the carol “Joy to the World”.  It speaks to me and speaks for me. The first verse hints of Christmas: “prepare Him room”, and “heaven and nature sing”. However, none of the verses clearly identify a savior's birth or any of that Christmas stuff. I was shocked after all these years to hear that the writer of “Joy to the World” had in mind not Jesus' birth at Bethlehem, not his rising from the dead, not moments in between.  "Joy to the World" was written about Jesus’ next coming!

Joy rises in me for Jesus' birth and Jesus' resurrection and Jesus' coming again! Every second of every day is a most appropriate time to sing “Joy to the World”.

1. Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.

2. Joy to the earth! The Saviour reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

3. No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

4. He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.