My Thoughts, Exactly
» Jim Chase

I don’t shock easily. Years ago, I could stand on the sidewalk in front of Monte Vista elementary school waiting for our kids and my grimaces and eye rolling were barely noticeable as I listened to the bleep-worthy language of some of their irrepressible young school mates.

Today, I can stumble across the latest online music/video assault by Cee Lo Green or Nicki Minaj and when I think about how many teens wallow in such classless, soul-polluting sludge I don’t get mad, just terribly sad. But I haven’t doused a computer monitor with toilet bowl cleaner in a long time.

That said, I was caught completely off guard last week when my wife and I were shopping at Target in Pasadena. Browsing one of their racks of Easter greeting cards hoping to find something to send to our out-of-town kids and grandkids, my gaze came to a screeching stop on a card that almost certainly was put in the wrong section.

The card showed two female cartoon eggs at a bar. “It seems like all the good ones are either married or gay,” said the blond egg to the redhead. Inside, the payoff read, “Oh well, happy Easter, anyway.” Yep, nothing says Easter like two pickled eggs on the prowl for a good man/egg.

Standing with my mouth agape, I suddenly realized that there wasn’t just one inappropriate card, but an assortment of outrageously irreverent cards with a similarly sick take on Easter.

For example, next to the card with the two hardboiled eggs was one with a photo of a fuzzy, newborn chick on the front under the caption, “It’s Easter. WTF?” Honestly. Even in the deepest recesses of my mind, I never ever expected to see “Easter” in the same sentence with “WTF.” I mean, seriously. How did we get here?

It gets worse. Another card had a photo of two contemporary 20-something women flashing their best phony smiles at the camera. The caption bubble over one of the women said, “Can you believe my new Easter dress is a size 2?” On the inside, her girlfriend answers with one-word: the “B” word.

Yet another card featured a cartoon of a maniacal rabbit with blood-red eyes and a headline that screamed, “It’s the Zombie Bunny!” Touching.

Next to this was a card with a big, bold font that simply read, “Cluck you.” How very special. Thanks so much for thinking of me at this special time of year.

I’d seen enough. The rest of our shopping trip I wandered behind my wife in an irritated daze. Days later, it’s still on my mind. I mean, they actually did it. They took the one last vestige of sanctity and holiness and dumped a big ol’ shovel full of faith-mocking mud on it. I don’t know whether these cards were created out of a disdain for Christianity, an ignorance of Easter or simply to sell cards. More importantly, I wonder who would buy such a crass slap at the sacred? And, for the love of God (pun not intended), who would want to receive such a thing? I just don’t get it.

Then again, our culture has increasingly become one where some folks become equally offended at the mere mention of the true meaning of Easter – that of the historical death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Son of God and savior of humankind. His redeeming sacrifice and ultimate triumph over the grave is the entire point and purpose of the Easter celebration. Not chocolate bunnies. Not hunting for colorful eggs. Not feasting on spiral-cut hams. Not even tasteless greeting cards.

Now, I’ll certainly enjoy my ham (and maybe a tiny piece of chocolate – or two) and fellowship with family this Sunday. But lest you receive a card featuring zombie bunnies or foul-mouthed fowls and wonder what the celebration is really about, I wish you a very happy Easter. He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

I’ll see you ‘round town.