“Alleluia! Christ is risen!” “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” The ancient greeting and response continues in our time, as the joyous news of the Jesus’s resurrection is affirmed by those who hear it and add their own praise to God for the miracle. The oldest Christian feast, the great 50 days of Easter are the center of the Church Year because everything for Christians depends on the resurrection of the Lord. Jesus shows Himself to be alive and gives to us the benefits of His death and resurrection in His own body and blood.

As our Synod’s Explanation of the Small Catechism summarizes (Questions 144-145), the Bible clearly teaches that on the third day Jesus Christ victoriously rose from the grave and showed Himself alive to His disciples (Matthew 27:62-28:20; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21; Acts 1:3; 10:40-41; 1 Corinthians 15:4-8). His resurrection is so important and comforting because it proves that He is the Son of God (Romans 1:4), that His teaching is the truth (John 2:19; 8:28), that God the Father accepted Christ’s sacrifice for the reconciliation of the world (Romans 4:25; 5:10; 1 Corinthians 15:17), and that all believers in Christ will rise to eternal life (John 11:25-26; 14:19; 1 Corinthians 15:20).

On Easter Sunday, March 31, Pilgrim will have two services celebrating The Resurrection of Our Lord: “Sonrise” Matins at 8:00 a.m. and Divine Service at 10:45 a.m., with an Easter Breakfast, Egg Hunt, Sunday School, and Adult Bible Class in between. Everyone is invited! At the Matins Service, we will conclude our special services’ sermon series considering consider the Lord’s Prayer in light of the words and deeds of our Lord during His passion and resurrection, focusing on the Prayer’s Conclusion, “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (For more on that sermon series see here.) At the Divine Service, the sermon will be on the appointed Gospel for the day, Luke 24:1-12.

The Easter celebration continues not only for a week but for a week of weeks, a 50 day long Sunday, as it were. Counting the Resurrection Day, there are seven Sundays of Easter, in a sense making for one extended feast, with themes of resurrection, ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit. The following are the Sundays of Easter in 2013 and their Gospel Readings (appointed by Lutheran Service Book’s three-year lectionary series C).

• Second Sunday (4/07): Jesus appears to Thomas (John 20:19-31)
• Third Sunday (4/14): Jesus appears by the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-14)
• Fourth Sunday (4/21): Jesus the Good Shepherd speaks of His flock (John 10:22-30)
• Fifth Sunday (4/28): Jesus promises the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-22)
• Sixth Sunday (05/05): Jesus promises peace despite tribulation (John 16:23-33)
• Seventh Sunday (05/12): Jesus prays for future believers (John 17:20-26)

The Day of Pentecost, the 50th day of Easter, will be observed on May 19th. Pilgrim will also offer a Vespers service marking The Ascension of Our Lord on Thursday, May 9th, at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to any of our services!

You may read and hear the sermons at Pilgrim from the Season of Easter and from every season of the Church Year here.

The banner graphic at the top of this page paraphrases John 14:19 and uses an image found here un-credited.