American Bible Society Announces Early Easter

A press release just arrived from the American Bible Society. I don’t see it on their website, so I thought I’d pass along the news, just in case you missed it.

“Easter is a moveable feast, so to speak, because it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar and every year when the winter thaw begins, there is uncertainty as to its exact date,” the press release reports, and it’s true: Many of us just weren’t sure when we were going to celebrate Easter this year—on any other year, for that matter. But now, “The American Bible Society is pleased to dispel any confusion and begin a new annual custom: To announce each year when the celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection occurs.”

Am I the only one who finds this phrasing funny? The headline—AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY ANNOUNCES EARLY EASTER—really says it all. But there’s this, too: “Most Christians celebrate Easter with families and friends sharing traditions that often go back several generations—attending special religious services and sharing bountiful meals.” Several generations, huh? And special religious services, too!