Over the past weekend, I have been privileged to be a part of the Emmaus Walk. I am writing this post ahead of time, so I will not be commenting on the walk today.
We are in the Easter season. Next Sunday will be what we traditionally observe as Palm Sunday. The 20th is the day we worship as Easter Sunday. As Christians, these days are very important to us. Over the next few blogs, let us consider some of the facts about Easter, and also some reflections on this important time. This week let us look at some facts, and the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday we will attempt to muse on the events that happened.
In Western Christianity, Easter marks the end of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline in preparation for Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. Eastern Orthodox churches observe Lent or Great Lent, during the 6 weeks or 40 days preceding Palm Sunday with fasting continuing during the Holy Week of Easter. Lent for Eastern Orthodox churches begins on Monday and Ash Wednesday is not observed.
Because of Easter's pagan origins, and also because of the commercialization of Easter, many Christian churches choose to refer to the holiday as Resurrection Day.
No matter what name you choose to use, this is a time of reflection upon the event that has changed man's connection with God. We celebrate worship on Sunday now because it is a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. Easter should cause us to think seriously about what has happened - and to appreciate why we worship a living, risen Savior.
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