Easter message as important as ever, say local ministers
For a lot of people in today’s society, Easter has become a time where they receive some chocolate and flowers, but the message behind the Christian celebration is as prominent as ever, says a group of local ministers.
Easter weekend takes place around the death and rebirth of Jesus, and Pastor Jim Bredeson at Victory Lutheran says Easter is a very big time of the year for Christians.
“This is always a high point in the church year, and it is the most important holiday for Christians,” he said.
Bredeson, reverend Oz Lorentzen of St. Barnabas Anglican Church and reverend Dave Pollard of Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church all agreed that Easter has become less relevant in terms of societal meaning.
“I don’t think the significance has faded but I do think far less people have access to Easter and its celebrations,” said Lorentzen. “There has been a pretty steep decline in people showing up to regular Sunday services, as well as bigger celebrations like Easter.”
Pollard says the decline in Easter celebrations has been somewhat natural in his eyes, with society changing so drastically.
“I think Easter is still very highly relevant within the Christian church,” he said. “As our culture had become more multi-faithed and multi-ethnic, Easter has turned into a bit of a chocolate bunny and flowers time for a lot of people, but I do think there’s still a lot of people who really try to come out to church at Easter time each year to renew that faith, even if it’s just once a year.”
Though Bredeson says he has seen fewer people coming to church services over his 34 years as a pastor, he says the messages Easter carries are more important today than they ever have been.
“The meaning of Easter, which is hope, I think it is more relevant than it has ever been before,” he said. “We live in scary times, there’s terrorism, a low economy, families are having trouble, and Easter offers a message of hope, that in the midst of death, destruction, violence and hard times.”