Rejoice Now: Easter Season 2022
Easter Sunday is only the beginning!
A great fifty-day feast (known as “Eastertide,” “Easter Season,” or “Easter Time,” as well as “Paschaltide,” “Paschal Season,” or “Paschal Time”) kicks off on Easter Day. In the Church Year, this is quite literally fifty days of feasting.
So let the feasting begin!
Why fifty days of Easter Time?
After the resurrection, Jesus spent forty days on earth before he ascended, and then there were ten more days after that before the Day of Pentecost.
Luke writes in the first chapter of Acts that Jesus “presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”
In Chapter two, we find the followers of Jesus gathered for the Day of Pentecost, which actually means “fifty.” It happened during the Hebrew feast of Shavuot, which is why the followers of Jesus were gathering.
So the Great Fifty Days are a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ and all that means for us, leading to the launching of the Christian Church and its mission on Pentecost.
Second Sunday of Easter 2022!
We heard the Gospel story of St. Thomas and learned more about his witness in the world. We gathered for formation, worship and lunch, children hunted Easter eggs, and many of us took pictures for our church directory! Easter Sunday was only the beginning of our rejoicing in this season.
Easter Services 2022
Easter Season Events
More than any other season of the year, Easter invites us to Rejoice. Easter recognizes that life is not all sunshine. The first proclamation of Easter begins in darkness. We all go through times when rejoicing may seem out of place.
But still, we can Rejoice Now.
Rejoice in the hope of peace in a world bent on war. Rejoice in God's abundance in the face of scarcity. Rejoice in th…
Easter Season Events »Easter Season Message & Sermons
At the Easter Vigil each year a cantor chants the Exsultet, a beautiful ancient proclamation of Easter. As the cantor sings, the congregation sits in darkness and lights candles from the new Paschal Candle, sharing the light of Christ.
The chant breaks the night with these words - "Rejoice now." The words are on page 286 in the Prayer Book.
Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choir…
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