Easter is the celebration of the crucifixion (hanging on the cross) and resurrection (second coming) of Jesus celebrated with eggs, of the chocolate and non-cocoa kinds.
Contrary to what many people think, Easter is not a single day, but it is actually a season that begins on Easter Sunday and continues for seven full weeks. This seven-week cycle is known historically as the Great 50 Days or the Week of Weeks. During this time, the church celebrates the Lord's resurrection, His appearances to the disciples after Easter, His post-resurrection teachings, His ascension into heaven, and the disciples' eager anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
The 40th day, Ascension Day, is frequently commemorated with a special evening worship service since it always falls on a Thursday. The final week of Easter is called Holy Week. The foundation of the Christian faith is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who lived the righteous and perfect life that humankind, because of their fallen and corrupt nature, cannot. He suffered the penalty for human sins by taking our guilt upon Himself and dying horribly on the cross. He rose bodily from the dead that first Easter morning ensuring that we who have been baptized into His death and resurrection will rise again in glorified bodies on the Last Day. This is the great paschal mystery that Christians have celebrated since the earliest days of the church.
On Easter Sunday, while secular society occupies itself with eggs and rabbits, the Christian church celebrates God's great triumph over sin, death, and the devil. In 2012, Ash Wednesday is on February 22 and Easter Sunday on April 8.
Contrary to what many people think, Easter is not a single day, but it is actually a season that begins on Easter Sunday and continues for seven full weeks. This seven-week cycle is known historically as the Great 50 Days or the Week of Weeks. During this time, the church celebrates the Lord's resurrection, His appearances to the disciples after Easter, His post-resurrection teachings, His ascension into heaven, and the disciples' eager anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
The 40th day, Ascension Day, is frequently commemorated with a special evening worship service since it always falls on a Thursday. The final week of Easter is called Holy Week. The foundation of the Christian faith is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who lived the righteous and perfect life that humankind, because of their fallen and corrupt nature, cannot. He suffered the penalty for human sins by taking our guilt upon Himself and dying horribly on the cross. He rose bodily from the dead that first Easter morning ensuring that we who have been baptized into His death and resurrection will rise again in glorified bodies on the Last Day. This is the great paschal mystery that Christians have celebrated since the earliest days of the church.
On Easter Sunday, while secular society occupies itself with eggs and rabbits, the Christian church celebrates God's great triumph over sin, death, and the devil. In 2012, Ash Wednesday is on February 22 and Easter Sunday on April 8.
