The Anglican Orthodox Church
Worldwide
Office of the Presiding Bishop
PO Box
128
Statesville, N.C. 28687
Easter, 2014
Anno Domini (In the Year of our Lord)
Purge out therefore the old
leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover
is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old
leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity
and truth. (1 Cor
5:7-8)
How excited are children at the
coming of the Easter Bunny with his eggs at Easter. But wait! What does a
rabbit or eggs have to do with the Resurrection of our Lord? Absolutely
nothing! It is a sad fact that we have allowed our most sacred holy days
(derivation of holiday) to be usurped by paganism’s cheap alternatives. The
bunny and the egg is a symbol of fertility so much esteemed by the gods of
Babylon. When a child is asked what is so exciting about Christmas, he will
most usually say, “Santa Claus.” What has a fat, jolly, old man to do with the
significance of Christmas. Should not Christ be a the center-point of Easter
and Christmas. Our governmental institutions cannot even sanction the use of
the proper names for these holidays, but rather preferring Winter and Spring
Break to designate Christmas and Easter. But none of their devious measures can
nullify what happened at Christmas or at Easter.
2014 years ago, Christ died for us.
He not only died, but He rose from the Garden Tomb on the third day. Even our
calendars give evidence of that event. So the calendars, too, are under attack
by those who fear the mention of the Lord’s name because of their sins. They
wish to designate the calendar date as the year 2014 C.E. (Common Era). But
that is so transparent when you ask, “Why do we date our years beginning 2,014
years ago? What HAPPENED then?”
Easter is our Passover, and I want
to plead with all who believe that we keep Passover now, tomorrow, and into
Eternity Future. As we observe the Easter glory of the Resurrection of Christ,
let us bear in mind that He was that Lamb of God slain before the Foundation of
the World. He is the One who bore our sins as well as our penalty on a
rough-hewn wooden cross at Calvary. He is the One who conquered death and Hell
and arose on the Third Day. He thereby became our Passover, and the True
Passover of Abraham and the Promised Seed of Isaac.
May our Church always be the Church
that honors God and His Word at Easter, and every other day.
God bless each of us who fear and love our Lord this Easter Season, and
always.
+Jerry L. Ogles
Presiding Bishop & Metropolitan
The Anglican Orthodox Church Worldwide
