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| Two choices here. |
Dateline: Bella Vista, Arkansas.
I got my first Easter egg hunt invitation in the mail yesterday. No, it was not from Holy Word Lutheran Church (WELS) in Austin, Texas.
The Bella Vista Community Church invited me to their Easter egg hunt. There was not much room on the postcard, so that Easter egg hunt must have been very important to them.
One sect makes a big deal about Easter being named after a fertility god Oster, and the day being marked by giving colorful eggs. Such customs go back to Zoroaster, the religion of Queen's founder, Freddy Mercury.
One Lutheran, who does a lot of research for this blog, suggested I look at a search for WELS and Easter eggs. I did another for Missouri and Easter egg hunts. The results were appalling, in both cases.
I was discussing religious holidays with some pastors. We agreed that Easter was our favorite because it was the least commercialized. Advent has become a time of "I'm too busy because of all the parties." We have to hear Little Drummer Boy, sung by Bing Crosby, in every store and elevator.
Why detract from the value of Easter by associating it with a non-Christian tradition, an event staged by dozens of community groups at once?
Holy Word is so proud of their effort that they advertise it as a clever idea at the Church and Change website. They omit the eggs in the write-up, lest someone think they are Chicaneries. Patterson has issues with Church and Change. That is why he speaks there, attends their conferences, and organizes WELS workers to attend the Exponential conference.
Enthusiasts find each other and work together. They have a common bond, a common un-faith. They do not trust the Word.
Imagine the apostles gathering the crowds for an Easter egg hunt rather than teaching them about the resurrection of Christ.
That is what the WELS and Missouri disciples of Church Growth are doing. They are ashamed of the Gospel. They are Enthusiasts, looking for something "that works."
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wildcard (http://wildcard.myopenid.com) has left a new comment on your post "Community Church Easter Egg Hunt":
Holy Word is so proud of their effort that they advertise it as a clever idea at the Church and Change website. They omit the eggs in the write-up, lest someone think they are Chicaneries. Patterson has issues with Church and Change. That is why he speaks there, attends their conferences, and organizes WELS workers to attend the Exponential conference.
They are so arrogant AND stupid!
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wistex (http://wistex.myopenid.com) has left a new comment on your post "Community Church Easter Egg Hunt":
The reason why the eggs aren't mentioned is because they are an afterthought. Most non-members come to the sunrise service because they saw a road sign. These signs don't say anything else except "Easter Sunrise Service", the time, and the location.
The Easter Egg Hunt is done in between the sunrise service and the regular Sunday service, mostly to give the kids something to do. Similarly, Holy Word offers a breakfast to give the adults something to do.
If people weren't so willing to put the worst possible construction on things, you might see how inconsequential the Easter eggs really are.
But then we wouldn't have funny pictures of pastors in bunny suits, would we?
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GJ - I thought my Doebler bunny was especially flattering. Alice in Wonderland 3-D, Part Deux, is having a casting call right now. Hurry hurry!
Howzabout having the adults hunt for eggs while the kids eat? The Shrinkers assume everyone is a kid needing entertainment?
