Sullivan church of Christ – Sullivan, MO
Date: April 8, 2007
EASTER CELEBRATION – PROVIDENCE ROAD STYLE
Ben Justice
People do many things contrary to the teachings of the Bible and of which there
is absolutely no Biblical authority for. Man’s imagination runs wild in inventing
religious doctrines. One such man-made religious practice is the celebration of
Easter. Easter is very simply the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. We
simply ask, “Where is the Bible authority for this?” The same goes for
Christmas, in which the masses of people celebrate the birth of Jesus. This
time of year reveals that almost every religious group celebrates Easter as a
religious day, in which the resurrection of Jesus is celebrated and
commemorated. Again, we ask, “Where is the Biblical authority?” In fact, Gal. 4:
10 implicitly condemns observing religious days that have not been authorized by
God. Easter and Christmas both fall into this category. If God had wanted us to
set aside special days in which to celebrate and commemorate the birth and/or
the resurrection of Jesus, then we would certainly find it in the NT. We do,
however, commemorate the death of Jesus. We do so every first day of the week
in partaking of the Lord’s Supper (I Cor. 11:23-27). Sometimes, brethren, when
offering thanks for the Lord’s Supper, will pray that the Lord’s Supper is in
commemoration of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. But, this is not
correct. Only the death of Jesus is commemorated in partaking of the Lord’s
Supper. We remember what Jesus accomplished in his death. Nowhere do we
find authority to commemorate the birth and resurrection of Jesus or anything
else about Jesus’ life.
The following reflects what the Providence Road Church of Christ in Charlotte,
NC plans on doing to celebrate Easter.
Thursday, April 5th
Passover Meal — 7:00 pm
Come experience the Passover the way Jesus did with his disciples. We’ll
recreate that fateful night around tables in the gymnasium and learn about the
various parts of the Passover feast. Our special guest Passover guide will be
Matt Nadler, a Jewish believer, who will help us learn the history and power
behind the elements of the Passover meal.
Friday, April 6
A musical concert commemorating Good Friday — 7:00 pm
Reflections on the crucifixion of our Lord and a celebration of His resurrection.
Presentations of song and scripture, using a blend of voices, guitar, piano, and
percussion.
Sunday, April 8
Easter Sunday Service — 8:15 am & 11:00 am
Invite your friends to our annual Easter Services. With a lesson entitled “Listen
to the Cross”, we will examine the words of Christ on the cross leading to the
joyous victory in His resurrection. In a worship service filled with praise and
prayers we will remember Resurrection Sunday!
Sunday, April 8
Dramatic Musical: I Saw Him There! — 10:00 am
What would the places where Jesus spent his last few hours say if they could
talk? Bring a friend and find out in this unique drama. Mixing song, video, and
soliloquy, we will journey back to that fateful week and listen as places around
Jerusalem come to life and recount the passion of Christ as He headed for the
tomb and then rose from the grave. The presentation is for the whole family and
will be during our regular Bible class period as NO classes will be held that day.
There you have it. Easter Celebration — Providence Road style. This ought not
surprise anybody since Jeff Walling is the minister there. He has been an ultra
liberal for years. What is sad is that many who still have “church of Christ” on
their sign are doing some of the same things. There was a time when members
of the church believed that Bible authority was to be respected and upheld in all
that we do. Members of the church believed in giving book, chapter, and verse.
Now, it is different — radically different. Now, the church has been turned into a
denomination among denominations in so many localities. Would to God they
would change the name of their sign, for Christ has nothing to do with their
unauthorized teaches and practices. All many are doing is “aping” the
denominations. Our plea is to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where
the Bible is silent (cf. I Pet 4:11). In light of what the NT teaches, we simply ask
for the Bible verse that authorizes the celebration of Easter in commemoration of
the resurrection of Jesus _________________.