Saturday, March 26, 2005

The Meaning Of Easter

Easter is the most important Christian holiday of the year
Easter is rabbits and colored eggs and fancy dresses, but to Christians around the world it is much, much more. Easter is the most important Christian holiday of the year.
Easter is the day Jesus rose from the dead. The resurrection, as described in the Bible, means that just as Jesus rose from the grave, Christians also can receive new life after death. The Easter holiday celebrates this belief.
Easter is the center of an entire season of the Christian year. The season begins with Lent, a 40-day period before Easter Sunday. During Lent, Christians prepare for Easter. Lent is considered a time for penance, a time to show sorrow for sins and to seek forgiveness. One way many Christians show their sorrow is by fasting, which limits the kinds and amounts of food that are eaten. While not all Christians fast during Lent, those that do pattern their behavior after Jesus who prayed and fasted in the wilderness before his death on the cross.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and most churches hold specials services in the evening. At many of those services ashes are placed on the foreheads of worshipers to remind them to have a humble spirit. Lent continues until Holy Week, which is the final week of Lent and recalls the events leading to Jesus' death and resurrection. The Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which celebrates the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, where people spread palm branches and clothing before him.
Good Friday is the day Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. Many churches hold services from noon until 3 p.m. to symbolize the last three hours of darkness while Jesus suffered on the cross. While Jesus died on the cross and was buried, he rose from the dead, and that is what Easter is all about.
On Easter Sunday Jesus' resurrection is celebrated. According to the Bible, Jesus' friends arrived at grave to find the stone moved and an angel standing nearby saying that Jesus' body was no longer in the grave that he had been raised from the dead. In many churches outdoor Easter services take place at sunrise to celebrate Jesus' resurrection. Just as Jesus rose from the dead Christians believe they will rise from the dead into heaven after their death on earth.
Easter is also closely associated with spring. The new plant life that appears in spring symbolizes the new life Christians gain because of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Easter is also considered a day of "white" because newly baptized church members wore white clothes at Easter observances.


By:http://www.everythingeaster.com/
meaningofeaster/meaningbehindeaster.asp

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