Neighborhood Ministries

Easter Sunday– Color is White symbolizing the purity of Christ and the new believer, washed in the blood of Christ. Easter was an important time for baptism in the early church because it celebrates the death and resurrection of Christ and reenacts the new believer’s death and resurrection in Christ. It is a new beginning, washed in the blood of Christ, but it is not the end. That new life does not come full blown and complete. We must begin to grow into what Christ wants for us, just as a child grows to maturity.

  Jesus was arrested in the Garden and tried during the night. It was the custom for Pilate to release a prisoner on the Passover. When Pilate asked who he should release, the Jewish leaders wanted him to release Barabbas. It is interesting to note that the Jewish leaders considered Jesus who was meek and mild to be a greater threat than Barabbas who was a terrorist known for his murder and destruction. It is no different today. Our government is currently ignoring threats from ISIS and other Mid-Eastern terrorist groups and concentrating their harassment and intimidation on Christian groups that preach the Word of God. Apparently, they consider the preaching of the Gospel to be more of a threat than terrorists. (They are right)

Maundy Thursday celebrates the night Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples on Thursday night before His arrest and His crucifixion the following morning. Passover celebrated the sacrifice of the lamb whose blood atoned for the sins of Israel. Jesus offered Himself up as the Passover Lamb so that His blood might pay for the sins of the world, yours and mine, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Messiah had to come as the Suffering Servant before He could become the Conquering King. Today, it is celebrated with communion to remind us of His body, which was broken for us, and His blood, which was poured out for us. Some churches recognize foot washing as a sacrament and have a foot-washing service to remind them of Jesus’ willingness to give His life for us.

Palm Sunday is a perfect example of what happens when we put our agenda before God’s agenda. Palm Sunday celebrates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The people waved palm branches and laid them on the road before Jesus to celebrate His coming because they thought He was coming to overthrow the Romans and set them free from the domination of the Romans so He could set up His kingdom on earth. However, the Passover celebrates the time in Egypt when the lamb was slain to atone for their sins and the blood put on the doorpost before the coming of the angel of death, to show the sacrifice had been made. It foretold when the Lamb of God (Jesus) would come to die on the cross to take away the sins of the world and set us free from the power of sin and death. When we stand before the throne in heaven, if our heart is cleansed by the blood of Christ, it will testify that the sacrifice has been made. Had the Jews remembered the meaning of the Passover, they would have recognized what Jesus came to do.

Good Friday/Black Friday-A Good Friday (also called Black Friday) celebrates Jesus’ death on the cross that bought our redemption. The color is Black symbolizing mourning. Many people wonder how Jesus could be in the tomb for three days if He was crucified on Friday and rose on Sunday morning. Actually the Jewish day begins at sundown so Jesus ate supper with His disciples on Thursday evening (after sundown on our Wednesday) and was crucified on the following morning (still Thursday). He was buried on Thursday before sundown and spent from late Thursday afternoon to early Sunday morning in the grave. Since our day runs from midnight to midnight, we celebrate Maundy Thursday and the crucifixion a day late.

Maundy Thursday celebrates the night Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples on Thursday night before His arrest and His crucifixion the following morning. Passover celebrated the sacrifice of the lamb whose blood atoned for the sins of Israel. Jesus offered Himself up as the Passover Lamb so that His blood might pay for the sins of the world, yours and mine, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Messiah had to come as the Suffering Servant before He could become the Conquering King. Today, it is celebrated with communion to remind us of His body, which was broken for us, and His blood, which was poured out for us. Some churches recognize foot washing as a sacrament and have a foot-washing service to remind them of Jesus’ willingness to give His life for us.

God spelled out His plan for the Jewish people in the design of the celebration of the Passover (the first celebration commanded by God) where the Lamb was slain to take away the sins of the one offering it. It foretold Christ’s death as the Suffering Servant when He would die to take away our sins and free us from the power of sin and death. The Holy Spirit would then come to set up God’s kingdom in our hearts (Pentecost-see Isaiah 53). Finally, Jesus would return as the Conquering King and set up His kingdom in Jerusalem fulfilling Rosh Hosanna (the third celebration commanded by God) but the Jews ignored what God told them and created their own visions of what God would do. Christ could not overthrow the powers of this world until He first overthrew the power of sin in our hearts, lest we all be lost.  (See “Before Our Eyes” in “Understanding the Path We Walk” for more on the meaning of the holidays.)