Posts Tagged ‘holidays’
Easter Sunday
27
Mar
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.
Good Friday
27
Mar
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.
Ash Wednesday-Feb 14
12
Feb
Ash Wednesday-A received its name from the fact that Christians used to place ashes on their forehead as a symbol of mourning. The color for today is black symbolizing mourning because it is a time when we mourn our sin that caused Christ to die on the cross. The penalty for sin is death but Jesus paid the price to redeem us from the power of sin and death that we might have life. Some people give up something for Lent as a sacrifice to remind them of the price Christ paid, but Christ wants us to put sin out of our life all year, not just during Lent. Lent is a time to ask Jesus to cleanse us of all that is displeasing to Him. If fasting or sacrificing something helps to remind you of the cost Jesus paid, then do it but if it is just a ritual that doesn’t mean anything, find something that will. It should never be done as an open display of our piety before men, but should be done privately between us and God.
Fourth Sunday of Advent-Dec 24
21
Dec
Protect-(Ezekiel 34:15-16, 22-28, & II Kings 6:15-18) The good shepherd will watch over His flock and protect them. He will drive the wild beasts from among them so the sheep may dwell in peace and not be afraid. In the same way, God promised to drive the evil ones from among His people so they might live in peace. More important, His love will drive the hatred and bitterness from our hearts, which create divisions among us. While not all hatred and bitterness will be wiped out until Christ comes, it should not exist within the church if we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. There should be no strife and bitterness among brothers and sisters in Christ who are filled with the love of Christ. Christmas should be a time when the church gathers to celebrate Christ’s love for us. As the result, the world will see the love we have for one another and desire that love. Unfortunately, few churches today exhibit that love openly.
Third Sunday of Advent-Dec 17
13
Dec
Lead-(Psalm 23:3b)The Lord will lead us in the path of righteousness. He came to show us the way to live in peace with each other and will lead us like a shepherd leads his sheep. The good shepherd does not drive the sheep in front of Him but goes before them and they follow because they know His voice. In the same way, the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of the believer and Christ speaks through the Spirit. . If we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, He will lead us in the way that Christ would have us go and we will follow because we recognize His voice. Before Christ came, God sent the Prophets and the Scripture writers to show people how to live but man could not understand because he did not understand what love was, so Christ came to earth as a man to show us the way to live. By the same token, if we follow Christ, others will see His love in us and desire that love. You cannot force people to love each other but you can gently lead them and show them the way.