Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?
-Luke 11:11-12
The connection between this verse and this month's article is nonexistent, but I wanted to take a minute to talk about Easter traditions and it's the only time Jesus mentions eggs.
There are a lot of claims put forth regarding where certain Resurrection Sunday traditions find their origins, and I'm sometimes surprised by how many lifelong church going Christians are unfamiliar with the religious significance of certain holiday symbols, so I thought I'd share two of them here.
Bunnies. You'll hear a lot of people insisting that bunnies come from being a symbol of this or that "fertility goddess" who had her celebration around the spring equinox. Most often this is attributed to Ostara, who is mentioned in precisely one document before the year 1000, and that document makes no mention of fertility or bunnies.
Rather, the origins of the bunny (more accurately, the Hare) as a Christian symbol can be traced all the way back to the ancient Greeks, who believed that hares were capable of reproducing without mating. This apparent natural example of virgin birth was adopted by early Christians as a symbol because of the obvious connection to their beliefs about how Jesus' conception came about. Since March 25 is the traditional date of Jesus' conception, and Easter tends to fall around that date, and rabbits tend to give birth in the spring, the traditions merged together over time. So that chocolate bunny you get in the store is, historically speaking, a symbol of Mary.
Interestingly, hares cannot actually reproduce without a mate, but several other animals including many species of lizard, snails, and in recent news Charlotte, a sting ray currently residing in an aquarium in Hendersonville, NC. Perhaps if Christianity were founded today, we could expect a visit from the Easter Ray.
Eggs. Again, the claim about eggs tends to be that they're a fertility symbol. And in other traditions they do serve that function.
However, early Christian egg-based iconography is usually a portrayal of a phoenix hatching from an egg. The mythical creature is of course associated with resurrection, and was used in relation to Pascha (the term we translate as "Easter" in English). The egg was also used as an early, rudimentary model for understanding the Trinity with the yolk, white, and shell representing the three persons of God.
As the tradition of Great Lent developed and evolved in Medieval Europe, Christians included eggs in the foods they abstained from in the weeks preceding Easter. There was even a custom in England of children going door to door on the Saturday before Lent to beg for people's last eggs to enjoy before the fast began. By the time Resurrection Sunday came around, most people's hens were in full spring lay, eggs abounded, and they became a traditional first food for breaking the Lenten fast, which led to decorating and hiding and all of the other fun trappings of the now-common egg hunt.
Happy spring, and I hope the Easter Ray brings you something good!
Blessings,
Pastor Shea
The next food pantry date for food pick up is Thursday April 25 from 9 to 11 and 1 pm for Food Sense pick up. Future dates for food pick up are Thursday May 23 and June 20. To qualify for the Hammond food pantry, you must live in the Brier Hill, Chippewa Bay, Hammond, Morristown, or Rossie areas and proof of residency such as a utility bill will be required. If possible, bring bags to put your food selections in. We also have boxes and containers available. For questions or information about the Hammond food pantry, contact Jennifer Gardner at 315 528 7303; for Emergency food assistance, contact Diane Ayotte at 315 775 3557. The coordinator for the Food Sense program, is Judy Hayes and she can be contacted at 315 528 9067.
Food Sense is a monthly food buying co-op for anyone who wants to stretch their grocery dollars. For $20.50, the Food Sense program provides a monthly box of staple grocery items at a discounted price. For March, the in person and online order date is Monday April 21. For the March selections and details go to foodsense.foodbankcny.org.
The Hammond food pantry is a not-for-profit organization and relies heavily on donations from our community. If you wish to donate, you can send a check made out to the Hammond food pantry or to Hammond Presbyterian church with Hammond food pantry on the memo line. Send it to PO Box 193, Hammond, NY 13646. Thank you to all who support this important work.
Our calendars informed us March 19 was the first day of Spring.
We who live in the North Country find this amusing because we know it is a time of transition and watch winter not giving up easily.
The following haiku by John Scarlett are to celebrate poetry month and share images of this transition.
fresh snow
many tiny paths
lead to our house
last patches of snow
here and there
my footprints
hidden by mist
father and son reminisce
across the evaporator
bending over
to pick up a piece
of sunshine
first grade fielder
right under the ball
ducks
as piercing
as peepers - the green
of new grass
geese honking
low overhead
First poet! First poet!
There is so much need for help in the world, how does someone narrow down which programs to support? For us the Marion Medical Mission Shallow Well program is an easy one to pick because it combines a great need, cost effectiveness, and a heart connection for us at Hammond Presbyterian Church. This project was introduced to us by Joan Hadlock. She believed in the needs it addresses and kept us connected to it for many years. In part we hope to keep our continued support to honor Joan as well as support a worthy, needed project.
In 1990 the program created 13 wells. Now more than 3,000 a year are built in Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia or Mozambique. It costs $450 a well and we are hoping to support at least one well this year. If you wish to donate there will be envelopes marked shallow wells or you can mail donation checks with wells on the memo line to Hammond Presbyterian Church 215 St. Lawrence Ave. Hammond,NY 13646.
Immerse: Messiah Book Study starts April 7th- May 26th at 2pm. Youth Group Book Study at 5:30pm. For more information, please see Pastor Shea.
The annual Per Capita Assessment is based on the membership reported by each church. The 2024 Per Capita fee for our Presbytery has been confirmed at $33.00. Each per capita payment is divided, with $9.80 for General Assembly, $4.10 for the Synod of the Northeast, and $19.10 going to the Presbytery of Northern New York.
Many members of our church have already made their per capita payments. Our Church must pay per capita for each member, whether or not the member pays us. Your contribution helps Hammond Presbyterian Church cover our portion. Per Capita payments can be mailed to the church or dropped in the Offering with “Per Capita” written in the memo line. If you have any questions about Per Capita, please contact Tara in the church office. Thank you!
Copyright © 2024 Hammond Presbyterian Church - All Rights Reserved.