Prof. Boerner's Explorations

Edited by Gerald Boerner

Commentary:

I captured this image at the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA, on a cloudy, rainy day in the spring. We need to keep our eyes on the empty cross — Christ is not still on it, but he is risen. Let us keep our eyes on our living, loving Savior. He walks with us daily and speaks to us through the Bible and his creation, Nature. Let us open our mind’s eyes to see the wonderful world that have been given; let us open our awareness to the guidance of Christ in our daily lives.  GLB

These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2011 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved

[ 3000 Words ]
    

Easter Thought… “He is Risen!”

Photo by Gerald L. Boerner

On this special day, we might keep in mind the following scriptures…

    
Guards are Posted at the Tomb FROM MATTHEW 27:62-66 (NLT)

The next day-on the first day after the Passover ceremonies-the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will be raised from the dead.’ So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing the body and then telling everyone that he came back to life! If that happens, we’ll be worse off then we were at first." Pilate replied, "Take guards and secure it the best you can." So they sealed the tomb and posted the guards to protect it.

Jesus Rises from the Dead FROM MATTHEW 28:1-7 (NLT)

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don’t be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now go quickly and tell his disciples he has been raised from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember, I have told you."

Jesus Appears to the Women FROM MATTHEW 28:8-10 (NLT)

The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to find the disciples to give them the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them. "Greetings!" he said. And they ran to him, held his feet, and worshiped him. The Jesus said to them, "Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there."
    

Please take time to further explore more about Easter Day, Mission Inn,
and “He is Risen!”, Passover by accessing the Wikipedia articles referenced
below. In most cases, the text in the body of this post has been selectively
excerpted from the articles; footnotes and hyperlinks have been removed
for readability…

References

Background information is from Wikipedia articles on:

Priesthill Zion Methodist Church: Easter Scripture…
http://www.priesthill-zion-methodist.com/easter/scriptures.html

Other Posts on related Topics:

Prof. Boerner’s Exploration: Easter Thought… “He is Risen!”…
http://www.boerner.net/jboerner/?p=10551

Edited by Gerald Boerner

Commentary:

The Lord is Risen… Happy Easter to all.

We now look at the culmination of Holy Week: Easter Sunday. While not part of Holy Week as such, it is the culmination of the celebration of the past several days. On Good Friday, Christ is betrayed, tried and crucified. His dead body was placed in a new tomb (“Whited Sepulchre”) for three days. On the third day Mary Magdalene went to watch over the tomb and found the stone rolled away from the entrance and the tomb empty. Christ was no longer dead, but had been resurrected. He had paid for mankind’s sins with his life and rose again to overcome death.

Today, we continue to celebrate this event in many ways, in many countries. Each country has made this special time personal to that country. Above all, man continues to worship a risen Christ and walk with Him as his children.

Easter is the central religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to Christian scripture, Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. Some Christians celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday), two days after Good Friday and three days after Maundy Thursday. The chronology of his death and resurrection is variously interpreted to be between AD 26 and AD 36. Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until Pentecost. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter. Easter also marks the end of Lent, a season of fasting, prayer, and penance.

Easter is a moveable feast, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon (the Paschal Full Moon) following the vernal equinox. Ecclesiastically, the equinox is reckoned to be on March 21 (regardless of the astronomically correct date), and the "Full Moon" is not necessarily the astronomically correct date. The date of Easter therefore varies between March 22 and April 25. Eastern Christianity bases its calculations on the Julian Calendar whose March 21 corresponds, during the twenty-first century, to April 3 in the Gregorian Calendar, in which calendar their celebration of Easter therefore varies between April 4 and May 8.

So, let’s get on with our exploration…  GLB

These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2011 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved

[ 3246 Words ]
    

Quotations Related to EASTER:

“To a Christian, Easter Sunday means everything, when we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
— Bernhard Langer

“Christ appeared alive on several occasions after the cataclysmic events of that first Easter.”
— Josh McDowell

“My mom used to say that Greek Easter was later because then you get stuff cheaper.”
— Amy Sedaris

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Edited by Gerald Boerner

Commentary:

Today we switch our consideration from the observation of Holy Week from that of the Christian celebrations to that of the Jewish celebration of Passover. While Passover is more than a single day, it is the basis upon which the Christian celebration is founded. Passover reflects the celebration of the sparing of Jewish firstborn sons during the period of the Exodus from Egypt. So, take time to read this posting for a better appreciation of the real meaning of Easter.

Passover is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating the biblical event of Hebrews’ escape from enslavement in Egypt.

Passover is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays (Yom Tov), and is commemorated by many affiliated and nonaffiliated Jews alike as a time to contemplate the endurance of the Jewish people throughout history.

Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan (equivalent to March and April in Gregorian calendar), the first month of the Hebrew calendar’s festival year according to the Hebrew Bible.

In the narrative of the Exodus, the Bible tells that God inflicted ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Hebrew slaves, with the tenth plague being the killing of every firstborn male, from the Pharaoh’s son to the firstborn of the dungeon captive, to the firstborn of cattle. The Hebrews were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord passed over these homes, hence the term "passover". When Pharaoh freed the Hebrews, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread to rise. In commemoration, for the duration of Passover no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of the Unleavened Bread". Matza (flat unleavened bread) is the primary symbol of the holiday.

But enough background. Let’s rake a closer look at today’s exploration…  GLB

These Introductory Comments are copyrighted:
Copyright©2011 — Gerald Boerner — All Rights Reserved

[ 3702 Words ]
    

Quotations Related to PASSOVER:

“And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.”
— Bible quotes

“And the Jews’ passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.”
— Bible quotes

“Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.”
— Bible quotes

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