Life's Too Short Column: Connecting Christ to the Bunnies

For a Facebook memory, my sister posted an old photo of my siblings and I when we were children. My brothers, sis, and I were all dressed up to go to church with our grandparents on Easter morning.

My brother is wearing a Fedora hat and you can tell he had not polished his shoes. My sister and are wearing matching navy blue jumpers with white and navy polka dot blouses underneath and we’re each sporting a little bonnet and purse. My little brothers are also stylin'--one in red overalls and a crisp, white shirt.

I don’t remember that day but I clearly remember my mother tying the bow of my blouse under my chin and feeling absolutely loved and stylish.

A lot of families will be celebrating Easter today in a very different way as we respect the Shelter-in-Place Order issued by Governor Newsom. I know I don’t get to share a ham dinner with my grown children and grandchildren but I plan to Facetime them and read them Easter stories.

For most parents of little ones, I’m sure there will still be bunnies and eggs but they may have no clue how that relates to Christ. Easter is a holiday based on Jesus’s Resurrection so if nothing else, you can use historical reference for the education. Children are hearing many words that may be new to them during the preparations for Easter and you would not be alone if you thought Easter is a celebration of Jesus Christ dying on the cross but why would anyone want to celebrate that?!

It took me many years to understand that Easter is celebrating that Jesus rose from the dead, like clearly dead. Yet, he was seen, heard, and touched by many people after he came out from the tomb. He is the only person, ever, to do that. I just love this story—read people’s reactions in the Bible and they just weren’t good enough writers back then to make this up! The story had to be told over and over and passed down in families because it gave hope to all that everything else he said was also truth.

When Jesus conquered death, he gave all humankind an opportunity to live eternally with him in Heaven. He gave everyone equal access to a new life. Many, many living things come from some sort of egg. Easter eggs are a minuscule symbol of the new life Jesus’ resurrection offered.

I explain to children that the egg is a way for us to remember that Easter means new life. I also tell them that the Easter Bunny is not Santa Claus. The Easter Bunny is simply another symbol of new life. In ancient times and in many places still today, rabbits are symbolic of fertility because they can reproduce rapidly so we see them a lot decorating this holiday.

And, most things become new in the springtime so there is great reason for happiness and celebration. It’s a good time to start going to church, too.

Now I want to share with you a story from a few years ago. I was talking to a woman who was the parent of two elementary-aged boys who said to me that there was no way she would ever go to church because she was too embarrassed. She said she didn’t know a thing about the Bible or God or Jesus and she wouldn’t even know where to start.

I thought a lot about what she said. It’s true the Christian faith can feel like culture shock even to people living good lives but it still seemed funny to hear.

I had grown up wishing I had come from a Christian home because everyone always knew so much more than me about being a person of faith. Even when I was 40 and had been attending church for some time, I felt that way. I might have learned some things along the way like the names of the books of the Bible and where to find them; the difference between the old and new testament; and, I could explain how God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit could be altogether one. But, there is always going to be someone who is farther along in their walk than another.

Based on the woman’s logic, there is never a good time to start going to church. What we need to remember, though, is the example Jesus set for us while walking on Earth. It was never important to Him where people had been but rather where they were going.

The great news about going to church Easter morning is that almost all Dixon churches offer an online service so you can stay in your robe and bunny slippers and just listen and watch. Just keep tuning in next week and the next. Happy Easter to all!

Debra Dingman, an award-winning journalist and author, is a 27-year Dixon resident and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Her book Learning A+ Living, Adventures & Rewards of a Mom Entrepreneur, is published by WestBow Press and is available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and on TWMpublicrelations.com.