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April 5, 2015

WELCOME!
WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE

We are a group of believers who simply try to follow the Bible as a guide for all we do. Everything done in our worship service is something for which we have a Bible basis. You are welcome to participate as much or as little as you wish. We will sing hymns together and we will observe the Lord's Supper or Communion together. We will also have an opportunity to give to the work of God in this area. This collection is for the members here, and if you are visiting you should not feel and pressure to give. Our lesson time will be divided into two groups. The young children will go to our classroom area in the basement where they will be taught the Bible at a level they can understand. The adults will stay in the auditorium for a lesson at an adult level. We do try to serve the community, and if you have some needs that we can help you with, mention it to one of the members. Thank you for worshipping with us.

POTLUCKTODAY: We know many families have plans for a special meal at home today, but if you do not please plan to stay and enjoy a good lunch with us. We have brought plenty, and the restaurants will be crowded or closed today.

HIGHWAY CLEANUP: Remember Saturday, April 18, is our day to do the highway cleanup. Plan to be here at 10:00 that morning to pick up the trash on the highway in our neighborhood. We have decided to delay the plant give-away for our neighbors until a later time.

HELP! We need volunteers to work on the yard and on the equipment to do the mowing (servicing, sharpening), getting plants, and scheduling work times. See Richard Hoyt if you can help in this work or if you have questions about the highway cleanup project.

TODAY'S LESSON

EASTER

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John Clayton
INTRODUCTION — THE TRADITION
A. Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.
1. On the 3rd day after his crucifixion
2. Preceded by Lent — a 40 day fast with prayer
3. Last week of lent is Holy Week
a. Maunday Thursday — John 13:1 – 16 — Foot washing
b. Good Friday — reminder of the death of Christ
4. Followed by Easter Tide — 50 days — ending at Pentecost Sunday
B. Established by the Council of Nicea in 325 AD.
1. First Sunday after a full moon following the Spring equinox
I. EASTER IS SPECIAL — IT IS BASED ON THE PASSOVER.
A. Passover celebrates the freeing of Israel from slavery in Egypt — Exodus 23:14 – 17 — one of 3 festivals.
1. Blood on doorpost symbol of Israel house
2. Unleavened because they left in such a hurry
B. Christ is portrayed as our “Passover lamb” — 1 Cor 5:6 – 8.
1. Jesus celebrates Passover — Luke 22:7 – 20.
2. We celebrate “Easter” every Sunday in communion.
C. Romans 14 — Making Easter a special Sunday is a choice.
II. EASTER IS SPECIAL — IT RECOGNIZES THE RISEN CHRIST.
A. No other religious figure is divine — John 1:1 – 14.
1. Colossians 1:15 – 23
B. No other religious figure rose from the dead — Acts 2:24.
1. 1 Corinthians 15:25 – 26; 2 Timothy 1:10
III. EASTER IS SPECIAL — IT REMINDS US WE HAVE HOPE.
A. 1 Corinthians 15:14 – 22 — alternatives — reincarnation, nothing
B. In this body there is no future.
C. Revelation 21:1 – 5 — something better awaits us.
D. Do you have hope? Revelation 22:12 – 17 — accept the promise.


THE BACK PAGE

RUN AWAY SYMBOLS

Many of our religious celebrations in this country have pagan roots or traditions that we do not understand or know about. One of the most interesting of these is the Easter Bunny. In Germany in the 17th century the Lutheran church had a tradition of the Easter Hare judging children. The Easter Bunny carried colored eggs, candy, and toys in a basket and brought them to children who were good right before Easter Sunday. The reason a rabbit was chosen was because people believed rabbits could reproduce without a loss in virginity. In medieval church art, the virgin Mary was shown with rabbits all around her for that reason. It was also believed that rabbits were fertility symbols, and spring was a time of renewed fertility.

Eggs were also associated with fertility and Christians were forbidden to eat eggs during the fast of Lent in the 1700s. This produced a surplus of eggs which were then eaten after Lent. The eggs were colored and given different symbols — red for the blood of Christ, green for new birth etc. Many other rules have been established for this season by organized religion in different cultures. There is nothing wrong with doing that as long as it is not considered to be a biblical law. German immigrants brought their Easter traditions with them to America, and the practice has spread to the commercial market so that there is even an Easter egg hunt on the White House lawn.

It is important for Christians to understand the roots of these traditions and not incorporate them into what we say the Bible actually teaches. We celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus every Sunday, because that is all the Bible tells us to do on this subject. Being silent when the Bible is silent does not mean being judgemental, it just means doing what God says and not what religious tradition dictates.

— John Clayton


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Our sign on the street

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