Category: Church Year Seasons/Festivals

Beginning on Easter Sunday is the Easter Season. It is a fifty-day-long season of joy extending from Easter to Pentecost. During this time, the Church celebrates the end of Christ’s struggles and proclaims His victory over death and the reception of the benefits of His life, death, and resurrection as gracious gifts of love and mercy for all those who believe in Him. He was alive again, just as was prophesied. It is a season of praise, of wonder, and mystery, for the power of God has reversed the power of sin and death. The season concludes on the 50th day, the festival of Pentecost.  Starting on the day of his resurrection and throughout the first season of Easter, our Risen Lord showed himself alive many times and to many people.  Some of those times include when He appeared to the two on the road to Emmaus, to Peter, and twice through locked doors in the upper room to the disciples.   He later appeared to more than 500 people at the same time in Galilee.  His final appearance was at His glorious Ascension.   His mission on earth of redeeming mankind back to the Heavenly Father was complete.   He then returned to Heaven to prepare a place for us, even as He is still with us every day, until He comes again. 

Toward the dawn, Mary Madalene and the other ladies were on their way to Jesus’ tomb.  They wished to finish embalming His body for proper burial according to their customs.  There was a great earthquake, and an Angel came from Heaven and rolled back the stone of the tomb.  The Angel told them, “Jesus is not here, He is risen”!  The tomb was empty, and our Lord had indeed risen from the dead, just as He said he would (Luke 18:33).  Christ’s resurrection proves that: He is the Son of God, His doctrine is the truth, that God the Father accepted His sacrifice for the redemption of the world, and that all believers in Christ will rise to eternal life.  He is the firstborn from among the dead (Colossians 1:18).   Before emerging victorious from the tomb, Jesus descended into Hell.  Not for further suffering, but to proclaim His victory (1 Peter 3:18-19).  Then on that glorious morning, He came forth from the tomb, proving for all eternity that he was the ruler over death and had defeated it as promised by His Word.  Often we don’t emphasize enough the glory of the resurrection as we should.  It is another crown of glory earned by our Lord, and the assurance of our resurrection.  May the joy of Easter remain in our hearts always, for He is risen!  He is risen indeed !!  Alleluia!!!

On March 25^th we observe The Annunciation of Our Lord.  By it we commemorate the day when the Angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and give birth to God’s Son, the long-awaited Savior.  The Annunciation should serve as a reminder to us of the strength of God’s love and the depths of His grace and mercy.  Despite mankind’s disobedience to Him over the generations He never abandoned His plan to send His Son to be our Savior and Redeemer.  The child in Mary’s womb would be the Word made flesh who would dwell among us.  He would be the Messiah who would pay for our sins on the cross, and come forward victoriously from the tomb after three days.  In nine months we will again celebrate His Holy birth, as today we celebrate the start of His human life.

Scripture Readings for The Annunciation

Isaiah 7:10-14       Hebrews 10:4-10     Luke 1:26-38

Lent is a 40 day Christian festival that begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Easter (Sundays are not counted).  To begin this holy season, on Ash Wednesday some churches invite their members to come forward and receive the imposition of ashes.  The Pastor applies ashes in the shape of a cross on the forehead of each while speaking the words, “For dust you are and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). This practice is to remind Christians of their sinfulness, mortality, of their need to repent, and how greatly we need God’s mercy in Christ.  That theme is to be with us throughout the entire season, for Lent is a penitential season, one of repentance and sorrow for sin.  Lent prepares us for the observance of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection for us.  The liturgical color for Lent is purple.  This deep, rich color has come to represent somberness and solemnity, penitence, and prayer.  Jesus wore a purple robe only once.  As the soldiers mocked and tormented Him, the Scriptures record they placed on Him a purple garment in order to ridicule Him and belittle the claim that he was King of the Jews.  Thus, purple is also a reminder of the contempt and scorn he endured, and the subsequent sacrifice he made for our eternal salvation.  May this holy season remind us of our daily need to humbly give attention to leading a life of repentance, as we follow our Savior’s footsteps to the cross on which he suffered for our redemption.