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Holy week is the week leading up to Easter day. Starting with Palm Sunday when Jesus rode on a donkey and the people waved palm leaves and asked him to save them. Then there is "spy Wednesday",as a reference to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, followed by Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Great Saturday and ending with Easter day.
Palm Sunday ~Is traditionally celebrated on the Sunday before Easter, in our church we pass out palm branches, some churches only give them to the children who walk in waving them in celebration of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, and the celebrating people there lay down their cloaks in front of him, and also lay down small branches of trees.
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Spy Wednesday - (Which I just learned about )A reference to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot.
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Maundy Thursday, also called Holy Thursday Great and Holy Thursday Thursday of Mysteries Covenant Thursday and Sheer Thursday.
The word “Maundy” is derived from the Latin word for “command.” The “Maundy” in Maundy Thursday refers to the command Jesus gave to the disciples at the Last Supper, that they should love and serve one another.
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| "The Lord's Supper points to Jesus Christ, whose body was given for us and whose shed blood established the new covenant. In sharing the bread and cup, each believer remembers the death of Jesus and God's act of deliverance in raising Jesus from the dead. As we relive this event with a common meal, we give thanks for all God's acts of deliverance in the past and present, for the forgiveness of sins, and for God's continuing grace in our lives." |
In our church which is Mennonite, the lights are dim a short message remembering what lead up to the death of Jesus and a prayer. There is then a small meal usually of consisting of a soup. Foot washing and Communion.
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| John 13:14-17, He instructs them, 14 "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet." 15 "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." 16 "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him." 17 "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." |
Good Friday -Many Christian churches celebrate Good Friday with a solemn service, usually in the evening, the lights are turned down low in some services. Christ’s death is remembered with solemn hymns, prayers of thanksgiving, a message centered on Jesus suffering to save all of us from our sins. As Christians, the events of that day should be ever on our minds because the death of Christ on the cross is the paramount event of the Christian faith.
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Holy Saturday - Is the Saturday before Easter, the last day of Lent and the day when Christ's body lay in His Tomb. In the early church Holy Saturday was a day of fasting and preparation for the Easter Vigil. In the early church this was always the time to baptize or 'christen' new Christian converts . They were then ready to take their first communion on Easter Sunday, the day of Resurrection. Christian baptisms symbolism death and resurrection and so it is very fitting for them to take place at this time of year. Most churches do not have a service on this day.
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EASTER - Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, is Christianity's most important holiday. Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is typically the most well-attended Sunday service of the year for Christian churches.
Christians believe, according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross.
It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn't fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do. Instead, Christian churches in the West celebrate Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox on March 21. Therefore, Easter is observed anywhere between March 22 and April 25 every year.
We as Christians celebrate our new lives in Christ. He died for our sins on the cross and was raised again after three days. I found a wonderful children's books called What is Easter by Michelle Medlock Adams. This is for younger children and I love the easy way it explains things. Easter is not about eggs or candy it is about the gift God gave to all of us, his son!
Thanks for reading!! God bless you and may you have a wonderful and blessed Holy week and a happy Resurrection or Easter!!
resources: http://www.mennolink.org/doc/cof/art.13.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday
http://christianity.about.com/od/holidaytips/qt/whatisgoodfrida.htm
My own experiences
