My church newsletter column for St. Peter Lutheran Church, Greene, Iowa, for April, 2018. I realized I’ve missed posting quite a few of these, so perhaps sometime soon I’ll go back and add the one’s I missed. For now, here’s my Easter newsletter column. 
Easter Symbols
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
– 1 Corinthians 1:18
Over the last 2,000 years, Christians have used a variety of symbols to talk about Easter. Some of these symbols—like eggs and the Easter bunny—have been adopted by the wider culture, but it’s worth exploring what these symbols tell us as Christians about Jesus’ resurrection.
First, there’s the egg. More than a pretty way to deliver candy, an Easter egg represents the idea of new life coming out of something that appears dead. The hard shell of the egg represents the sealed tomb where Jesus’ body is laid, and cracking the shell shows God rolling away the stone at the resurrection. Although the practice of decorating eggs pre-dates Christianity, Eastern Orthodox tradition is to dye eggs red like the blood Jesus shed for us on the cross. Another tradition is to fast from meat and eggs during Lent, and to decorate the eggs in preparation for breaking the Lenten fast on Easter morning.
Another popular symbol is the Easter bunny. If you’re familiar with the expression “breeding like rabbits,” perhaps it’s not much of a stretch to understand how a rabbit could become a symbol for new life. From there, the bunny can be a reminder of the new life Christians find in Jesus’ resurrection. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17)
A perhaps less familiar Easter symbol is the rooster. First, the rooster reminds us of the Good Friday story, when Peter betrays Jesus three times before the rooster crows. In addition, the rooster’s crowing welcomes the coming of the new day. Many churches (including Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque) have a rooster on the top of the steeple, symbolizing the power of the risen Jesus Christ to break the darkness of our sin and announce the hope of a new day.
On many Easter banners, you’ll notice a brightly colored butterfly. Coming out of a cocoon, the butterfly emerges into its new, beautiful form, like Jesus coming out of the tomb.
Similarly, the Easter lily again represents new life coming out of something that looks dead. At the beginning of the new season, the flower springs up out of the bulb buried underground. The lily’s pure color shows the purity of our new life in Christ, and the flower’s shape resembles a trumpet proclaiming the good news of what God has done for us.
Finally, the most important symbol of Easter is the empty cross. Only God could transform this ugly symbol of execution and death into the ultimate emblem of life and hope. Now, the cross is bare, the tomb is empty, and Jesus is alive! And because he lives, we too shall live. As you celebrate Easter, may these symbols continue to remind you of God’s love and promise for you!
Celebrating the joy of the resurrection,
Pastor Daniel Flucke