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Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. By the fourth century the Western church had determined that the Lenten period of fasting and renewal should correspond to Christ’s forty-day fast (Matt. 4:2), and, by count-ing forty days back from Easter (excluding Sundays, which remain “feast” days), arrived at the Wednesday seven weeks before Easter. At one time Lent was primarily viewed as a period during which converts pre-pared for baptism on Easter Sunday, but later the season became a general time of penitence and renewal for all Christians. Thus Ash Wednesday became the day that marked the beginning of the Lenten renewal.
The aim of Ash Wednesday worship is threefold: to meditate on our mortality, sinfulness, and need of a savior; to renew our commitment to daily repentance in the Lenten season and in all of life; and to remember with confidence and gratitude that Christ has conquered death and sin. Ash Wednesday worship, then, is filled with gospel truth. It is a witness to the power and beauty of our union with Christ and to the daily dying and rising with Christ that this entails.
The imposition of ashes is often a central part of the worship service. Ashes have a long history in biblical and church traditions. In Scripture ashes or dust symbolize frailty or death (Gen. 18:27), sadness or mourn-ing (Esther 4:3), judgment (Lam. 3:16), and repentance (Jon. 3:6). Some traditions also have considered ash a purifying or cleansing agent. All these images are caught up in the church’s use of ashes as a symbol ap-propriate for Lent. In Christ’s passion we see God’s judgment on evil; in our penitence we express sorrow and repentance for our sins; in our rededication we show that we are purified and renewed. The ashes, which often are the burnt residue of the previous year’s palms from Palm Sunday, are often mixed with a little water and carried in a small dish. As the leader goes from worshiper to worshiper, or as worshipers come forward, the leader dips a finger in the moist ash and makes a cross on each person’s forehead (the “imposition”), saying words such as “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return,” or, “Consider yourself dead to sin and alive in Jesus Christ.”
In some contexts, the imposition of ashes may be a barrier to thoughtful Lenten worship because of its newness or because it may be misunderstood. Most important is that worshipers rend their hearts (Joel 2:13). Decisions about whether or how to practice the imposition of ashes should always take into account that the service should build up the body of Christ.
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Christmas
At Christmas, we remember and
celebrate the nativity of Christ and the mystery of the incarnation. Whereas
during Advent we anticipate the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of
the Messiah, at Christmas we identify with the angels who proclaimed, “Glory to
God in the highest”; with the shepherds, who were afraid but nevertheless
offered worship; and with Mary, who pondered the meaning of these events in her
heart (Luke 2:13-20).
The spirit of the worship service
and the visuals of the worship space change dramati-cally from the Fourth
Sunday of Advent to the celebration of Christmas. White, yellow, and gold are
the colors of Christmas, and many visual symbols and images—angels, candles,
the star of peace, shepherds, the manger, and so on—come to mind. Christmas
carols have their own built-in spirit of celebration.
The Christmas season extends from
December 25 through January 5 and includes at least one and usually two
Sundays. Celebrating Christmas as a season helps us both to enter into the
meaning of the incarnation more fully than celebrating a single day and to
focus on additional Scripture texts that explore the meaning of Christmas
beyond the familiar words of Luke 2.
Worship Sourcebook, pp. 465-466
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The Ministry of Deacons
The Office of Deacon Was Created for the Purpose of Handling the Benevolence Ministry
The Biblical account is quite clear on the founding of the deaconship and nowhere does Scripture repeal the original purpose:
“NOW ABOUT this time, when the number of the disciples was greatly increasing, complaint was made by the Hellenists (the Greek-speaking Jews) against the [native] Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked and neglected in the daily ministration (distribution of relief). So the Twelve [apostles] convened the multitude of the disciples and said, ‘It is not seemly or desirable or right that we should have to give up or neglect [preaching] the Word of God in order to attend to serving at tables and superintending the distribution of food. Therefore select out from among yourselves, brethren, seven men of good and attested character and repute, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we may assign to look after this business and duty.’” Acts 6:1-3 (Amplified)
The Office of Deacon Was Established to Free the Apostles (who functioned as the first pastors) to Pray and to Prepare to Minister the Word
The Apostles, in dealing with the benevolence ministry problem at the Jerusalem church, told the congregation that,
"It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." Acts 6:2-4 (NKJV)
Some have understood this passage to mean that it is the role of deacons to oversee the business of the church. First, the text says, “this business,” not “the business” — and the business being referred to is the business of benevolence.
The Early Deacons Were Selected for Their Spiritual Qualifications
Acts 6 expounds the qualifications for the office of deacons:
"Men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom" -- Acts 6:3
"And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit" -- Acts 6:5
Deacons Are to Be Capable of Serving the Lord in Spiritual Ways
The original seven deacons were people who were able to serve the Lord in ways which were more spiritual in nature than merely delivering food. Stephen was a man of spiritual power:
"And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people" (Acts 6:8 NJKV). Philip was not only a deacon, but also was gifted in evangelism (Acts 8:5-7).
The Office of Deacon Requires a Firm Grasp of Sound Doctrine
A church is content oriented. It is a doctrinally driven community, built upon truth. Every member should have this approach in this fellowship; leaders such as deacons, not less, but more so.
"They must possess the mystic secret of the faith [Christian truth as hidden from ungodly men] with a clear conscience" Acts 6:9 (Amplified)
The Presence of Deacons Should Advance the Unity of a Church
When the Apostles laid out the plan for the creation of this office, "The saying pleased the whole multitude" (Acts 6:5 NKJV). The complaints about the benevolence ministry stopped. And the complaints were by the Greek speaking Jews, the Hebrew speaking Jews obviously bent over backwards to preserve the church's unity, for all the men selected had Greek names. It is still true today: Any time a church has deacons who are properly doing their jobs, the church is more likely to be at unity.
The Presence of Deacons Should Advance the Cause of Evangelism
The immediate impact of the creation of the office of deacon was to eliminate the controversy in the church and to get the church back on course in fulfilling its mission. The Bible says that,
"Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith" (Acts 6:8 NKJV).
Again, it is still true. When a church has deacons who are in God's will, the cause of world evangelization will be aided.
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Easter
All the hopes and expectations of Christians are realized in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, making Easter the most celebrative day of the church year.
Some traditions begin their Easter celebration with an Easter Vigil service, either late Saturday evening or very early Sunday morning. The vigil recapitulates the biblical theme of redemption history through readings, helping worshipers see the powerful sweep of God’s actions throughout history. In this way it provides the entrance into Easter. The vigil usually begins outside, in darkness, and opens with a processional into the worship space. Historically baptism of persons instructed in the faith took place (and still does) as part of this vigil.
The Easter morning service is a time for joy, celebration, and renewal. Even churches that do not customarily follow the church year celebrate this day as the culmination of all that the gospel is about. The liturgical colors are white and gold. In contrast to the somber starkness of Holy Week, on Easter the worship space should be bright and celebratory. Music and songs reflect the full joy of the victorious Christian faith because of Christ’s resurrection.
Because the good news of Easter can hardly be contained in a single day’s celebration, Easter is only the first of fifty days of Eastertide, the “Great Fifty Days” that lead up to Pentecost. This season is designed for extended celebration, for exploring the ramifications of Easter for the redemption of all creation, and for joyful Christian living.
The Worship Sourcebook, pp 625-626
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Maundy Thursday
On Maundy Thursday the church remembers the last evening
Jesus shared with his disciples in the upper room before his arrest and
crucifixion. Maundy Thursday marks three
key events in Jesus’ last week: his washing of his disciples’ feet, his institution
of the Lord’s Supper, and his new commandment to love one another. This service begins the Triduum, the three-day period from sunset on Thursday to sunset on
Easter day. The name “Maundy Thursday”
comes from the Latin mandatum novum,
referring to the “new commandment” Jesus taught his disciples (John
13:34). In other words, this is “new
commandment Thursday”.
Maundy Thursday worship naturally features the Lord’s
Supper and, in some traditions, an act of foot washing or another sign of
mutual love and dedication. Celebrations
of the Lord’s Supper can call attention to the many theologically rich
dimensions of the Last Supper itself, including its attention to communal love
and its clear eschatological orientation (its focus on hopeful anticipation of
the coming kingdom).
In some churches a Maundy Thursday service is the primary
or even only midweek service during Holy Week. In this case, the service needs to call attention both to the events in
the upper room and to the events of Good Friday. Because there are so many theologically
significant and spiritually nourishing events and themes to be addressed, many
congregations find it helpful to have services on both Maundy Thursday and Good
Friday.
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Palm/Passion Sunday
The events framed by Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and his resurrection are some of the most dramatic and theologically important of the entire scriptural narrative. These days feature not only the drama of the triumphal entry, trial, last supper, and crucifixion but also poignant prayers and prophetic teachings of our Lord. John’s gospel devotes eight of its twenty-one chapters to this week alone! The week begins with Passion/Palm Sunday and ends with the “three days” (also called the Triduum, from sunset on Thursday to sunset on Easter Day), the period during which we mark Jesus’ trial, death, and resurrection.
The first Sunday of Holy Week is commonly called either “Palm Sunday” or Passion Sunday.” Those who call it “Palm Sunday” tend to focus on the entry of Christ into Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9). Those who refer to the day as “Passion Sunday” tend to focus on Jesus’ suffering. This is especially appropriate in contexts in which participation in midweek services on Maundy Thursday or Good Friday is difficult or minimal, and, as a result, worshippers would sing “Hosanna” on one Sunday and “Christ arose” on the next, with little attention to Jesus’ suffering and death in between.
The Worship Sourcebook, p 581
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Lent
Liturgical Notes on Lent
Theme: Retreating into the Wilderness with Jesus
Dates: Lent is a forty day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday. We skip Sundays when we count the forty days, because Sundays commemorate the Resurrection.
Colors: In most churches, the decorations are purple, the royal color, to prepare for the King. Red may be used during the Holy Week from Palm Sunday through Monday, to denote the Lord’s passion. Focus: Lent is a season of soul searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days.
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Pentecost
Pentecost is the great festival that marks the birth of the Christian church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost means "fiftieth day" and is celebrated fifty days after Easter.
Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, the twelve apostles, Jesus' mother and family, and many other of His disciples gathered together in Jerusalem for the Jewish harvest festival that was celebrated on the fiftieth day after Passover. While they were indoors praying, a sound like that of a rushing wind filled the house and tongues of fire descended and rested over each of their heads. The disciples were suddenly empowered to proclaim the gospel of the risen Christ. Not only did the disciples preach with boldness and vigor, but by a miracle of the Holy Spirit they spoke in the native languages of the people present, many who had come from all corners of the Roman Empire. This created a sensation. The apostle Peter seized the moment and addressed the crowd, preaching to them about Jesus' death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. The result was that about three thousand converts were baptized that day. (You can read the Biblical account of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-41).
Red is the liturgical color for this day. Red recalls the tongues of flame in which the Holy Spirit descended on the first Pentecost. The color red also reminds us of the blood of the martyrs. These are the believers of every generation who by the power of the Holy Spirit hold firm to the true faith even at the cost of their lives.
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Ascension Sunday
Significance of Ascension Sunday
Ascension Day is one of the great celebrations in the Christian liturgical calendar, and commemorates the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven. Ascension Day traditionally falls on a Thursday, the fortieth day from Easter day. However, it is celebrated by many in the Christian tradition on the following Sunday.
The Ascension of Jesus is the Christian teaching found in the New Testament when the resurrected Jesus was taken up to heaven in His resurrected body, in the presence of eleven of His Apostles, occurring 40 days after the resurrection. Jesus ascended to His Father and His heavenly throne, and now sits at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. An angel told the watching disciples that Jesus’ second coming would take place in the same manner as His ascension, that is, He would descent in bodily form. The familiar account of Jesus ascending bodily into the clouds is given fully only in the Acts of the Apostles, but implied also in Luke’s Gospel (by the same author).
The liturgical color for Ascension Day is white, the color of the season of Easter.
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Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is one of the few feasts of the Christian Year that celebrates a reality and doctrine rather than an event or person. On Trinity Sunday we remember and honor the eternal God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Trinity Sunday is celebrated the Sunday after Pentecost, and lasts only one day, which is symbolic of the unity of the Trinity.
The Trinity is one of the most fascinating - and controversial - Christian dogmas. The Trinity is a mystery. By mystery the Church does not mean a riddle, but rather the Trinity is a reality above our human comprehension that we may begin to grasp, but ultimately must know through worship, symbol, and faith. It has been said that mystery is not a wall to run up against, but an ocean in which to swim. Essentially the Trinity is the belief that God is one in essence (Greek ousia), but distinct in person (Greek hypostasis). Don't let the word "person" fool you. The Greek word for person means "that which stands on its own," or "individual reality," and does not mean the persons of the Trinity are three human persons. Therefore we believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are somehow distinct from one another (not divided though), yet completely united in will and essence.
White is the liturgical color for Trinity Sunday.
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The Easter Season
Dennis Bratcher
http://www.cresourcei.org/cyeaster. html
Easter or Resurrection Sunday is the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus the Christ from the dead. Even before theologians explained the death of Jesus in terms of various atonement theories, the early church saw his resurrection as the central witness to a new act of God in history and the victory of God in vindicating Jesus as the Messiah. This event marks the central faith confession of the early church and was the focal point for Christian worship, observed on the first day of each week since the first century (Acts 20:7;). Easter as an annual celebration of the Resurrection that lies at the center of a liturgical year has been observed at least since the fourth century. Even in churches that traditionally do not observe the other historic seasons of the church year, Easter has occupied a central place as the
high point
of Christian worship.
The date of Easter is not fixed but is determined by a system based on a lunar calendar adapted from a formula decided by the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. In this system, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring equinox (the day when the sun’s ecliptic or apparent path in the sky crosses the equator, thus making days and nights of equal length). This usually occurs on March 21, which means the date of Easter can range between March 22 and April 25 depending on the lunar cycle.
In the Christian church year, the two major cycles of seasons, Christmas and Easter, are far more than a single day of observance. Like Christmas, Easter itself is a period of time rather than just a day. It is actually a seven-week season of the church year called Eastertide, the Great Fifty Days that begins at sundown the evening before Easter Sunday (the Easter Vigil) and lasts for six more Sundays until Pentecost Sunday (some traditions use the term Pentecost to include these Fifty Days between Easter and Pentecost Sunday). These seven Sundays are called the Sundays of Easter, climaxing on the seventh Sunday, the Sunday before Pentecost Sunday. This is often celebrated as Ascension Day (actually the 40th day after Easter Sunday, which always falls on Thursday, but in churches that do not have daily services it is usually observed the following Sunday). Ascension Day marks not only the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but his exaltation from servant hood to Ruler and Lord as the fitting climax of Resurrection Day (Eph 1:20-22).
Color used in worship is especially important during the season of Easter (see Colors of the Church Year and The Meaning of Church Colors). The changing colors of the sanctuary from the purple of Lent to the black of Good Friday provide graphic visual symbols for the Lenten journey. The change of colors for Easter and the following Sundays helps communicate the movement of sacred time as well as personal faith journeys.
The Sanctuary colors for Easter Sunday and Ascension Day are white and gold, the colors of sacred days throughout the church year. For the Easter season, white symbolizes the hope of the resurrection, as well as the purity and newness that comes from victory over sin and death. The gold (or yellow) symbolizes the light of the world brought by the risen Christ that enlightens the world, as well as the exaltation of Jesus as Lord and King. The sanctuary color for the other five Sundays of Easter is usually also white and gold, although some churches use Red, the color of the Church, for these Sundays as well as for Pentocost Sunday. During this time worshippers are called to celebrate God's ongoing work in the world through his people, and to acknowledge and reflect upon their purpose, mission, and calling as God’s people, which makes Red an appropriate color for this season.
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Epiphany
In western Christian tradition, January 6 is celebrated as Epiphany.
Epiphany is the climax of the Advent/Christmas Season and the Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted from the evening of December 25th until the morning of January 6th, which is the Twelfth Day. In following this older custom of counting the days beginning at sundown, the evening of January 5th is the Twelfth Night.
The term epiphany means “to show” or “to make known” or even “to reveal.” In Western churches, it remembers the coming of the wise men bringing gifts to visit the Christ child, who by so doing “reveal” Jesus to the world as Lord and King.
The colors of Epiphany are usually the colors of Christmas, white and gold, the colors of celebration, newness, and hope that mark the most sacred days of the church year.
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Baptism of the Lord
The Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord (Sunday after January 6 – liturgical color: White) commemorates the baptism of Jesus, and brings to end the celebration of Christmas. Originally, the Baptism of the Lord was celebrated on Epiphany, which commemorates the coming of the Magi. Over time in the West, however, the celebration came to be commemorated as a distinct observance from Epiphany. The event itself marks the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus.
On this occasion, the Church recalls Our Lord’s second manifestation or epiphany which occurred at His baptism in the Jordan. Jesus descended into the River to sanctify its water and to give them the power to beget sons of God. The event takes on the importance of a second creation in which the entire Trinity intervenes. The commemoration of our Lord’s Baptism provides an opportunity for the entire church to discuss the significance of this Holy Ordinance. For it was in Baptism that we all received that all important call to be disciples of the Lord.
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Ordinary Time
In the context of the liturgical year the term “ordinary” does not mean “usual or average;” it means “not seasonal.” Ordinary Time is that part of the Liturgical Year that lies outside the seasons of Lent-Easter and Advent-Christmas. In Ordinary Time, the Church celebrates the mystery of Christ not in one specific aspect but in all its aspects.
Ordinary Time in the Church’s year occurs in two sections. The first part begins on the Monday following the Christmas season, which ends with the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday following January 6. It lasts through the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season. Ordinary Time resumes after the Easter Season, on the Monday after Pentecost, and continues until the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent.
The Sunday that follows the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. The remaining Sundays are numbered consecutively up to the Sunday preceding the beginning of Lent and after Pentecost.
The liturgical color normally assigned to Ordinary Time is green.
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