An African told how God worked Easter Sunday at the Ibuga Church of Western Tanzania. The Ibuga Christians had to meet outdoors because the buildings could not accommodate the 800 who attended. While they sang and worshipped, they had no idea of the calamity that was striking their neighborhood.

About the time they started their service, a huge lioness came from the forest wild and mad. Normally a lion would kill and eat, but she was only bent on killing. She dashed from house to house attacking everything in her path. She killed three goats, a cow, and then a woman and her child! As the cry of anguish arose, the lioness ran off in the direction of the Ibuga Church meeting. The villagers said that now the “Mungu Mwena” (“God is good”) people will get it, for that lioness is headed directly for them.

The congregation suddenly saw the creature only a few yards away. She stopped and growled furiously. The people quivered with shock! The preacher shouted, “Folks, don’t be afraid, the God who saved Daniel from the lions is here. The Risen Christ of Easter is here.” Then with a God-given faith and authority he turned to the lioness and said, “You lion, I curse you in the Name of Jesus Christ!”

Then the most amazing thing happened. From the scattered clouds, though there had been no rain—nor was there any later—a bolt of lightning struck the lioness and she dropped dead in her tracks. The preacher ran and jumped up and down on the carcass and then used it as a platform to preach!

Seventeen people were instantly saved. The community was stirred and agreed with the local policeman who muttered as they carried the carcass to the police station, “the God of these ‘Mungu Mwena’ people surely is a God of miracles!”

– Convention Herald

Easter – Setting the Date part 4 of 4

Once you choose your calendar – either Julian or Gregorian – the calculation for the date of Easter is quite simple. It is the first Sunday after the first Full Moon, after the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox is either March 20 or 21. The full moon is always – Well that is difficult to figure out. Just stay up late each night an look to see when the moon is full. If you need to know ahead of time, that method is not too reliable. The moon cycle is 28 days and it gets complicated to relate that to a 28 to 31 day month.

Below is a formula and chart to calculate the date of Easter Day
This method is valid for any year, but only for the Western Church (Gregorian Calendar).

Take the number of the year, add one, then divide by 19 (Remember the 19 year cycle introduced by Dionysius Exiguus). Discard the answer and take the remainder. Match up the remainder with the table below. Easter is the first Sunday after the date in the table.

For example, 1999 plus 1 is 2000. If you divide 2000 by 19, the answer is 105 with a remainder of 5. The date in the table for 5 is March 31. Therefore, Easter Day falls on the following Sunday, which is April 4, 1999.

If all of this seems a bit much for you – you can always check the calendar. Slowly and quietly the Christian world moves toward adoption of a fixed date for Easter. Most likely choice: the first Sunday in April. Already, I remember reading that the Orthodox churches are in agreement to celebrate Easter on the same day as other Christian churches. I don't know when this will take effect and I've lost documentation for this agreement.

Sources: The Dictionary of Bible and Religion, William Gentz | The Bible Almanac, White
| Easter a Pictorial Pilgrimage - Pierre Benoit |

Easter Quotations

Hail, Day of days, in peals of praise
Throughout all ages owned,
When Christ, our God, Hell’s empire trod,
And high o’er heaven was throned.

       —   St. Venantius Fortunatus, Hail Day of Days