As Lent ends we enter into the Easter Season.  Easter Sunday is the first Sunday, after the first full moon, after the  Spring Equinox (March 20th or 21st) and this year, because of the late full moon, Easter falls on April 20th.  Easter Sunday, or Resurrection Sunday is recorded in each of four New Testament Gospels.

In synoptic terms Jesus has made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the preceding Sunday (Palm Sunday) and taken up residence in the temple courtyard, after clearing the money changers and the sellers of sacrificial offerings (done in Mark, Matthew and Luke).  Jesus is explaining the new kingdom God is going to bring into being.

The fact that the people are listening to Jesus, and Jesus is berating the Temple Priests and religious leaders, is upsetting the status quo.  Temple Leadership decides that something must be done to stop Jesus.  Jesus is arrested, taken to trial before the Temple Priesthood, and then before Pilot, the Roman Governor.  In a matter of minutes he is condemned to be crucified on the cross.

The speed of these events was not out of the ordinary.  As the Governor this was within Pilot’s power, and Pilot had one directive to follow, keep the peace so that taxes could be easily collected.  If Jesus was causing tensions, as the priesthood claimed, then eliminating Jesus was the simple solution to the problem.

Jesus was taken to the hill of Calgary, where he hung on the cross for a approximately three hours, and died.  Special permission was received to remove the body, which was taken to a nearby tomb. The body was wrapped in cloth, a stone was rolled to seal of the tomb entry, and guards were placed at the entrance.

The following Sunday, three days later, the women came to the tomb to prepare the body for a proper burial, and discovered the body gone.  There is a unique resurrection story described in each of the Gospels, but basically Jesus was raised from the dead.

It is through Jesus’ resurrection we have Jesus as the center of the Christian Church, our God incarnate who walked among His people.  Through his the sacrifice of His death we receive forgiveness of our sins.  Through His power to overcome death we receive the gift of eternal life.  

During the season of Easter we will celebrate the time following of the resurrection that Jesus spent with the disciples.

Lent is a time of Repentance, Reconciliation and Redemption as we prepare ourselves to receive the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday.  Lent is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter.  The 40 days reaches back to the time Jesus spent in the desert following his baptism in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke.

The math is a little difficult. This year starts on March 5^th and runs until April 29^th.  Counting this comes out to six weeks equaling 42 days 4 days from March 5^th to March 8^th . While this adds up to 46 days, it includes six Sundays, which are not included in Lent.  These are days of celebration, because they are days worshiping our Lord.

And so we spend the next six weeks in contemplation about our relationship within our community, our families and friends, and most importantly our relationship with our God.  What is right, and what needs correction as try to prepare ourselves for the most important relationship of all time, that goes back to gift given over 2,000 years ago.  The gift of grace, which gives us freedom and life.

Art Work: Annunciation of the Lord, da Vinci, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy / Jesus Betrayal, Fra Angelico 1440-5 Convent of San Marco, Florence, Italy / Christ Before Pilate, Duccio 1311, Museo dell Opera Metropoliana del Duomo, Siena, Italy

Join us for our April 6th Worship Service.                                          Join us for our March 23rd Worship Service.                                                               Join us for our March 30th Worship Service.                                                 Join us for our March 16th Worship Service.                         

Join us for our March 9th Worship Service.                                          

Epiphany comes from the Greek, meaning manifestation.  Starting on January 6 the season lasts until Ash Wednesday, March 5^th and the start of Lent.  The purpose of the season to recognize the times Jesus is acknowledged as the Son of God, the answer to God’s promise of redemption leaning back to the prophets.

Recognition is seen in several instances.  The most celebrated is the visit of the Magi following the heavenly star and bringing gifts to the Christ child.  Other examples include the presentation of Jesus at the temple and being recognized by Anna and Simeon.  Another example is Jesus’ baptism, first when he is recognized by john and again when coming out of the water the heavens open, the spirit in the form of a dove descends and the voice of God saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.  Another is the miracle of changing water into wine.

Join us for our February 23rd Worship Service.                                             Join us for our March 2nd Worship Service.

Join us for our February 9th Worship Service.                                               Join us for our February 16th Worship Service.

Join us for our January 26h Worship Service.                                                Join us for our February 2nd Worship Service.  

Join us for our January 12th Worship Service.                                                Join us for our January 19th Worship Service.

Photos:

Jesus' Baptism:  Marco Monastery Florence, Fra Angelico, 1418

Jesus casts out demons: Basilica St. Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna:

Marriage at Cana: Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy, Giotto di Bondone, 1305

Three Magi Going to Jesus: Basilica St. Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna:

It is the season of Christmas, December 25th - January 5th.  We have spent the last four weeks preparing our hearts, minds, and soles to receive the gift God sent to His people, Himself to be sacrificed, that His peoples sins may be washed away, and they can be with Him, eternally.  But why 12 days for the season?

The Christmas Season, also known as Christmastide, goes back to the Council of Tours meeting in 567 who proclaimed the 12 days between Christmas (the birth) and Epiphany (the Magi Recognition) as the Christmas Season.  The main purpose is celebrate.  After the 4 weeks of fasting, introspection and preparation to receive Jesus into our lives, now is the time to celebrate our acceptance.  

Significant event during Christmastide include: December 25: Jesus’ birth / December 26: feast of St. Stephen (Good King Wenceslaus) / December 27: feast of John the Apostle / December 28: feast of the Holy Innocents (children killed on Herod’s order) / December 29: murder of Thomas Becket 1170 (Archbishop of Canterbury) / December 30: remembrance of John Wyclif 1395 (translated the Bible to English…martyred because) / January 1: circumcision of Jesus / January 2: remembrance of Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah, 1945 Bishop of South India / January 6: beginning of Epiphany, the Magi (manifestation).January 4: remembrance of Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1821, founder of the United States parochial school system / January 5: Epiphany Eve, remembrance of the Desert Mothers (women ascetics living in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Syria 4^th & 5^th century) / January 6: Epiphany begins, Magi visit (manifestation).

Photos 2024: Bell Choir / Christmas Tree and Advent Candles / Nativity in the Sanctuary.

Join us for our December 29th Worship Service.                              Join us for our January 5th Worship Service.