Easter, take 2

Among Christians, there is often a debate over what to do with Easter. On one hand, it is one of the most sacred holidays in the religion. On the other, it’s the most joyous. And then you’ve got the Easter bunny, eggs and bonnets, all secular and even somewhat pagan traditions. Some eschew egg hunts altogether, some reserve them for Saturday, others hold them after church and plenty of people have the egg hunts but never attend Easter services.

At today’s community sunrise service, held by the Micah churches, the Rev. Allen Fisher said Easter is supposed to be a jovial holiday. It is a time when Christ played a joke on death, by coming back to life. Traditionally, Easter Monday was a precursor to April Fools’ Day, a day when people pulled light-hearted pranks on each other. About 70 people braved the early morning and cold (34 degrees according to my not-always-accurate car thermometer) to attend the sunrise service at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church’s green. Fisher, of the Presbyterian Church in Fredericksburg, said he’d love to see the Easter Monday tradition return.

Photos are from yesterday’s Easter egg hunt with the refugees. I didn’t bring my camera to the service, but figured yesterday’s event was a good illustration of combining worship with fun.

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