Happy Hoppy Easter! Easter signals the beginning of Spring for me. I can remember many Easter mornings as a child, waking up and running downstairs to see if the Easter bunny had left me a basket of candy and toys. But do you know what Easter is really all about? Read below for a brief description of the days leading up to Easter Sunday. Then check out some of my fun links ... and go on an Easter Egg hunt! And again, have a very happy hoppy Easter!!!
Ash Wednesday is the day Lent begins. Some churches observe Ash Wednesday by placing a cross on your forehead during the service. In the Bible, a mark on the forehead is a symbol of a person's ownership. By having their foreheads marked with the sign of a cross, this symbolizes that the person belongs to Jesus Christ, who died on a Cross. Ashes are a biblical symbol of mourning and penance. The ashes are made by burning palm fronds, which have been saved from the previous year's Palm Sunday. A priest then blesses them -- blessed ashes having been used in God's rituals since the time of Moses. Ash Wednesday is also known as a day of fasting.
It was a day of glory and honor, as Jesus rode into the city and people paved his way with palm fronds to keep the dust from the feet of the colt he rode in on. It was a rather ironic beginning to a week that would ultimately lead to him being betrayed by almost everyone in the city and brutally crucified. It is a real picture of how little we really stand behind our belief, honoring him when it's popular and turning our backs when the heat is on.
Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, which was held the evening before the Crucifixion. During the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of the Apostles, and predicted the betrayal and departure of Judas. An unblemished lamb was used in the Passover meal, which was sacrificed to be eaten. Jesus said that he eagerly desired to eat that Passover meal with the disciples before he suffered. He explained that He would not eat the Passover meal again until the Passover finds its fulfillment in the kingdom of God.
Jesus is brought to Pontius Pilate on charges of treason and is condemned to death. A heavy cross is thrust into Jesus' arms and he is ordered to carry it to the site of His execution. Jesus accepts the cross, carrying it by himself. The cross is heavy and the road is long. Jesus, weary from lack of sleep, loneliness, fear, and the beatings he received slumps to the ground. Soldiers quickly drag him to his feet again. Jesus is faltering under the load. The soldiers fear that he might die along the way, and they seize Simon Cyrene, to make him help shoulder the load. Finally they arrive at the God-forsaken place where he will be crucified. Hurriedly, roughly, his clothes are stripped from his back leaving him naked in front of the crowd - naked, exhausted and humiliated. The soldiers thrust Jesus down onto His cross. Holding him down - some sit on him - they pound the nails through his hands and feet. The nightmare of pain and suffering, the agony of betrayal and loneliness come to an end. After three mercifully brief hours on the cross, suspended between earth and sky, Jesus dies.
What a magnificent day! As Mary Magdelene and the other Mary went to visit the tomb where Jesus lay, an angel of the Lord descended ... telling them that He had Risen. They were to go inform His Disciples, telling them to go to Galilee where they would see Him. When the Disciples reached the mountain, Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
LINKS
The Easter Pages - Easter cards, bonnets, egg rolling, facts, and lots of fun. Rosie's Easter Basket - Easter poems, stories, recipes, and egg hunts. Peggy's place - a wonderful Easter parody "T'was the Night before Easter"! The Easter Page - an excellent source for the true meanings of Easter.
Do you like this background? Visit my background and set section to see if there is anything you can use for your webpage!
