| 3550 Southwest Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX 76133 Phone: 817-926-8277 -- Fax: 817-926-8278 Preschool: 817-923-2040 email: st.christophers@att.net |
St. Christopher Episcopal Church
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To Know Christ and Make Him Known
| A Look at Our Church Seasons and Holy Days - Easter |
Easter is more than Easter Sunday. It is the defining event of Christianity, and so the Church
has always observed it for longer than the Day itself. The Passion took place at the Jewish
Passover, and 50 days after Passover the Jews celebrated a Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost,
which marked the time of the wheat harvest. (Why 50? Pentecost is Greek for 50th day, or
seven weeks: that is, seven times the period of each phase of the moon and also seven
times the period of Creation). At Pentecost after the Resurrection the Holy Spirit descended
upon the apostles and the people, so the Christian Pentecost also marks the end of one
church season and the beginning of the next. For seven weeks, then, we mark our church
services as special festival days: the liturgical color is white or gold; we stand for the Great
Thanksgiving; we keep the Paschal candle lit, we close services with a special alleluia.
Collects are mostly those written in very early times (in the current Book of Common Prayer
the more important the day the more likely that ancient elements will be used). Scripture
readings are from the New Testament only, saying what happened after the Resurrection.
has always observed it for longer than the Day itself. The Passion took place at the Jewish
Passover, and 50 days after Passover the Jews celebrated a Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost,
which marked the time of the wheat harvest. (Why 50? Pentecost is Greek for 50th day, or
seven weeks: that is, seven times the period of each phase of the moon and also seven
times the period of Creation). At Pentecost after the Resurrection the Holy Spirit descended
upon the apostles and the people, so the Christian Pentecost also marks the end of one
church season and the beginning of the next. For seven weeks, then, we mark our church
services as special festival days: the liturgical color is white or gold; we stand for the Great
Thanksgiving; we keep the Paschal candle lit, we close services with a special alleluia.
Collects are mostly those written in very early times (in the current Book of Common Prayer
the more important the day the more likely that ancient elements will be used). Scripture
readings are from the New Testament only, saying what happened after the Resurrection.