| Easter The Resurrection of our Lord |
| Easter is both a day and a season. It is Easter Day- on which we celebrate the day Jesus rose from the dead. And it is also a season- the seven weeks which follow. The color of the season is white, like the background of this webpage, demonstrating the purity and goodness of Christ Jesus our Lord. Easter is when we celebration the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. Before Jesus was executed on Good Friday, he had said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days" (John 21:19). John later explains that "the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said" (John 21:21). So what does that mean for us today? Romans 6: 4-5 tells us, "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." And so, as forgiven saints in Christ, we rejoice in the new life that we have here and now. We rejoice in the promise of the resurrection and life eternal with our Lord. Easter is Good News. Easter is such Good News that all of history hinges on the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the same way, the liturgical calendar of the church year hinges on the Easter celebration. Easter Day is, in fact, the oldest and most ancient of Christian festivals. In a sense, it is the source of all the festivals of the Christian year. Easter Day is the "Queen of the Feasts" of the church year. Because our Lord rose from the dead on the first day of the week, every Sunday is a sort-of "mini Easter" and is a commemoration of the resurrection. The meeting of Christians for worship on Sunday (instead of the Jewish custom of Saturday) began in the early church because of the resurrection. Here at Bethlehem and St. John Ev. Lutheran Church, the direction of all our "mini-Easter" worship services throughout the year culminate in our Easter Day worship. It is a joy-filled service of light in which we rejoice in what God has done for us. We rejoice that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, conquering sin, Satan, and even death. "He is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia!" |
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