Christmas vs Easter
I have always seen a stark contrast in the way we celebrate Christmas and Easter. Both contrasting in themselves. One is birth and one is death. One is gain and one is loss.
Being a sociology student (though for a brief period), behaviour intrigues me. Humans somehow are affected more by loss than by gain. If for example, someone were to give us (or me at least) $100,000 cold hard cash - I would be happy. Just for the sake of measurement lets say that that happiness weighed 10 pounds, if I could measure it.
I wake up the next morning and realise that I lost that briefcase containing the $100,000. I would be sad. And again, if we could weigh it, it would probably be more than 10 pounds. In essence, I would be MORE sad in losing something than I was glad when I got it. Though we like to get good things, loss somehow affects us humans more than gain.
For another example, someone has a new baby born, family and close friends of course come and visit and even family from out of state are thrilled and send you a card and a gift. This baby grows up and like any other human, passes away. Family and friends rush to be there, family and friends from out of state (perhaps even country) rush to be there, if they can. Death (or loss) affects us more. Even this very example, I’m sure might be uncomfortable for some to read.
All this is to help us ask the question or raise our awareness. Are we just as happy and celebrate just as much Christ’s birth as we celebrate Easter? Easter is a big deal. Christ died but rose again and defeated death, redeeming us. We celebrate what He has done.
The way we as Christians celebrate Easter/Good Friday (in most cases) is by either choosing mellow songs or songs that are brooding. Minimal music or whatever, there is a sense of weight on us and of course the token song of explosive celebration to finish off Easter with Christ rising from the dead.
Contrast that with Christmas. Do we have a weight of joy like we have the weight of loss on Good Friday? In equal measure? Or do we allow ourselves to grieve more easily than to truly celebrate? At Easter, the service is so solemn, we rarely stray from very solemn songs. At Christmas are we focusing on the birth? With the same explosive energy? Or do we think it is OK to sing about “Baby it’s cold outside” and just have the one or two “birth” focussed songs?
I am all for secular songs, I am not one of those people who are against any secular music or whatever. I am just asking the question to raise up awareness as to how easy it is for us to stray from the event because it does not carry as much weight as Good Friday. Loss.
Maybe we are. Maybe we aren’t. I for one try to ask myself the questions and just perform a self check to make sure I am conscious of the fact that I have to celebrate. Really celebrate.
Maybe this whole thing was pointless, maybe it made sense only to me before I wrote it?