Q & A -- Breaking down the importance of Easter

Today is Easter, which Christians believe is the time that Jesus

Christ was resurrected from the dead after being crucified on the cross.

And while the Easter Bunny has become the symbol for some to celebrate

the Christian holiday with Easter eggs and candy, for many others, the

bunny is only part of a larger and more important celebration.

The Rev. John A. Huffman Jr., senior minister at St. Andrew’s

Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, sat down with Daily Pilot Asst.

City Editor James Meier recently to discuss how important Easter is to

Christians.

What is the genesis of Easter?

It’s the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is the church’s

celebration of the literal, physical resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What should Easter mean to Christians?

We celebrate that Christ is risen. Exclamation point. That’s the

affirmation of the earliest church worship with the affirmation that

Christ has risen. The pastors would say “Christ is risen!” “The

congregation would respond Christ is risen indeed!”

The meaning is that God has come in uniform. His name is Jesus Christ.

He died for the sins of the world on the cross bearing our sins and, on

the third day, he rose from the dead in victory over sin and death. And

the Holy Spirit is with us until Jesus returns again. That’s the essence

of the Gospel. That’s the essence of any Roman Catholic, Protestant,

Orthodox. That is the essence of the faith.

Does the Easter Bunny demean the holiday?

No, the Easter Bunny is wonderful for kids. At our home, we always

have the Easter Bunny, Easter eggs, Easter candy and Easter dinner. But

that is a fun family occasion supplemental to -- that’s not the essence

of -- Easter. The Easter Bunny isn’t Easter.

Easter is Christ on the cross. Bad Friday followed by the resurrection

that makes bad Friday Good Friday.

How important of a holiday is it for Christians?

I would say that, in terms of what it represents, it is the most

important of the holidays. I try, at St. Andrew’s, to emphasize that

Christmas Eve is only meaningful in the context of Easter, which I would

rather call the Resurrection of Christ.

We could get very sentimental about a baby in a manger and we could

diffuse the significance of Easter by jumping to Palm Sunday right over

Holy Thursday and Good Friday, avoiding the cross to a positive message

of Christ’s victory over life and death and forget the cost that was in

it. And we could dress up Christmas with Santa Claus and Easter with the

Easter Bunny, and for some people, that’s all there is.

I have some friends who don’t have any idea what’s it all about, and

their celebration is a big deal. It’s probably a bigger deal for them

than it is for me and my family on the basis that it’s their chance to

have a big, big family celebration. But they aren’t believers in Jesus

Christ, and they don’t go to church. They have absolutely no touch with

the spiritual significance. And they’re good people.

How much does church membership swell at Easter?

Membership doesn’t swell, but attendance does. That happens at every

church. I’m excited about welcoming everyone who comes on Christmas Eve

and Easter, but the real St. Andrew’s you see 365 days a year isn’t

Christmas Eve and Easter.

The joke is a guy says “I don’t go to church because every time I go,

they sing the exact same songs and have the same exact message.” Then

he’s asked, “Well, how often do you go?” “Every Christmas Eve and every

Easter.” So, they’re always singing “Away in a Manger” and “Little Town

of Bethlehem.”

How does Easter differ in the Presbyterian Church than the other

Christian churches?

I’m not that sure I can answer that. If there’s one thing that all the

Christian churches have in common is the Resurrection of Christ. That’s

why we celebrate the first of the week. The true Sabbath is Saturday. The

Jewish people celebrate their Sabbath from sundown on Friday to sundown

on Saturday.

Do any of the traditions differ at all?

Oh, I’m sure they do. Basically, I would say it’s a joyous occasion to

declare and celebrate Jesus Christ rising from the dead and the victory

over death. Satan is defeated. Christ is victor. God is in charge. It’s

an affirmation that no matter how lousy, how miserable and how difficult

life is, God is in charge.

Anything else to add?

I thank God for every Christ-centered community affair here in Orange

County and throughout the world where believers celebrate that their

lives have been transformed by the good news in the Gospel that Christ

has conquered.