EASTER – the most important event in history – when Jesus once forever was the atoning sacrifice for all men’s sins. Isaiah 53,3-5: 1 John 2,2
2023 EASTER SEASON
Ash Wednesday – 2/22/23 (not observed ) Begins for some Christians a forty-day period, a personal journey to Jerusalem that helps us privately remember and focus on the suffering and death of Christ, and be refreshed in the good news of His journey to the cross. Easter Sunday – 4/9/23, The Resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Easter typically falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring on or after the spring equinox, 3/20/22 – Lord, May Our Hearts Burn within Us | Luke 24:1-29
Pentecost Sunday – 5/28/23, 50th day after Easter; Commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and other disciples following the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ. – Equipped with the Promise of the Father | Acts 2:22-41
Passion Week (Holy Week)
Palm Sunday 4/2/23 – Jesus’ humble entry (on a donkey) entrance into Jerusalem to observe Passover.
Maundy Thursday 4/6/23 – Peter and John sent to make preparation for Passover meal; Lord’s Supper is instituted.
Good Friday 4/7/23 – The Trials of Jesus Christ; The crucifixion the death of the God-Man.
2022
Easter Sunrise Service
Online resources
Take a look at Pastor’s seven 2022 Lenten Lunches – A Study of the Seven Churches found in Revelations 1 & 2.
He Is Risen! Rocks tell the Story of Easter – Kids, See & hear an Easter Story
What is Lent and why should I care?
“A forty-day period of penitence and prayer which begins on Ash Wednesday and prepares for the feast of Easter. It is a form of retreat for Christians preparing to celebrate the paschal mystery. It became a forty-day retreat during the seventh century to coincide with the forty days spent by Christ in the desert; before this Lent usually only lasted a week. Every Friday of Lent is a day of abstinence. Fasting probably originated from the custom of fasting by those who were expecting to be baptized after being catechumens.” (s.v. “Lent” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology)
Within the reformed churches, there seems to be much debate over what to say about lent. We are not commanded to celebrate it explicitly in the Bible, but it can be argued that it is a useful time to help us privately remember and focus on the suffering and death of Christ, and be refreshed in the good news of His journey to the cross.
Prayer and Fasting Aids:
- Journey with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem with these reflections from To Seek and to Save by Sinclair B, Ferguson
- Is Fasting Appropriate for Christians Today? by David Murray
- Fasting as an Aid to us in Prayer
Quotes:
“Self-denial means knowing only Christ, and no longer oneself. It means seeing only Christ, who goes ahead of us, and no longer the path that is too difficult for us… . Self-denial is saying only: He goes ahead of us; hold fast to him.” ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Jesus is not a commitment among other commitments, but rather the commitment of our lives. Therefore, as Augustine points out, we must take care to order our loves properly, ensuring that our affections are set on Christ and not another.” — Chuck Colson