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changing community forms of worship on "Good Friday" and on "Easter sunrise service"

Discussion in 'History Forum' started by mr. messy, Mar 16, 2005.

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  1. mr. messy

    mr. messy New Member

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    Hi, I'm "mr. messy" and am now 65 years old. I live in Indianapolis, Indiana.

    I used to be a member of an American Baptist Church [then] in the 1950's (a high school graduate in 1957) and can remember Good Friday services from several community pastors from say 12 Noon to l or 2 or 3pm (my memory of the ending of the service is fading now). I can remenber that the banks used to be closed at 12 Noon. To me now, things are not like they used to be as far as the churches are concerned, as far as the American culture and values. Certainly the music sung in local churches has changed. [As a teenager I can remember singing from Easter or Christmas cantatas from John W. Peterson].

    At a teenager I can remember Emmanuel Baptist Church (my teenage church) and Edwin Ray Methodist Church (both churches were on the same corner, right across from each other) sharing an Easter Sunrise Service followed by a breakfast in one of the churches.

    Also, as a young adult I can remember going to Southport High School, in Indianapolis, for an
    Easter Sunrise Service for music and an Easter pageant. Now, I doubt that public school gyms would allow a community activity even on Easter.
    Again, I am limited to events from my own point of view.

    Now my local church (Gray Road Baptist Church of Indpls of which I am a choir member, not a pastor) has had commuunity churches and choirs coming for the past 2-3 years on Good Friday night. There is congregational singing, singing from a mass(ive) community choir, and preaching from more than one pastor. One of the pastor leads a congregation of mainly black believers (Afro-Americans). At least I like this experience.

    What are your thoughts about the changing community forms of worship on "Good Friday" and on "Easter sunrise service" and/or breakfast?

    Some of you are not Americans and may have difference experiences and a different history or life story from what I have typed out.

    Thank you for reading and for posting. "mr. messy."
     
    #1 mr. messy, Mar 16, 2005
  2. Melanie

    Melanie Active Member
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    As a Catholic I look forward to the week leading up to Easter.

    The church ceremonies for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday and culminating in the glorious ressurection of Our Saviour are profound and beautiful.

    This is why I went back to the RCC in a traditional church not in the bizzare rites seen in the Novus Ordoe Church.
     
    #2 Melanie, Mar 17, 2005
  3. mr. messy

    mr. messy New Member

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    Thank you Briony-Gloriana for your comments. Mr. Messy.
     
    #3 mr. messy, Mar 17, 2005
  4. Kiffen

    Kiffen Member

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    My Church is Southern Baptist. My Church this Saturday canvases our area going door to door giving out Gospels of Luke (NIV) and invitations to our Good Friday and Easter Sunday service. Our Palm Sunday service this Sunday will be opened with the reading from the Old Testament and the Gospel reading of Jesus triumphal entry.

    The Good Friday service this year is The Stations of the Cross though slightly differant from Roman Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran one. It is more from a Evangelical free church style and is one we try to get lost people to come to since it is both a meditation on the Crucifiction of Christ and a Evangelistic service.

    On the Saturday before Easter we have "Easter Prayer Vigil" AND the Church is opened at 6 am and members can come in the Sanctuary and there is a prayer list on the communion table. Intercessory prayer is offered up throughout the day.

    Early Easter Sunday Morning we have "Easter Sunrise" service around 6 AM behind the Church with the Lord's Supper served and then at 11 AM we have our main Easter service.
     
    #4 Kiffen, Mar 17, 2005
  5. Bro. James Reed

    Bro. James Reed New Member

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    Easter Sunday is just like any other Sunday for us.

    There will more than likely be something about the resurrection preached, but that is usually part of the sermon every Sunday.

    It's hard to preach about Christ and him crucified without mentioning the resurrection. ;)

    I don't really understand why people in different churches make such a big deal out of it and why some people feel obligated to attend services only on Easter Sunday and Christmas.

    The only change in our church might be that the women will start wearing their brighter, more cheerful colors, and they will usually have Easter Lily corsages or something.
     
    #5 Bro. James Reed, Mar 17, 2005
  6. ktn4eg

    ktn4eg New Member

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    A question more out of curiosity than of contention:

    In 2005 Easter falls on 27 March.

    In most of the commentaries and/or works of typology, we are told that the events of what we today call "Easter Week" co-incided with the events of the Jewish Passover.

    Why then in 2005 is the Passover beginning at sundown on 23 April?

    [Which, co-incidentally, was also the day, in 1966, when I received Christ as my savior!]
     
    #6 ktn4eg, Mar 25, 2005
  7. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    According to the Jewish calendar, days begin at sundown.

    Passover always begins on the 15th of the month Nissan. However, because the Jewish calendar is based on the lunar cycle, the dates that correspond with the western calendar can vary widely. (The Jewish year loses about 11 days a year compared to the solar year; leap months are added periodically to keep in relation to the solar calendar.) Thus in 2006, Passover will begin on April 13.

    Western Easter is fixed by a mathematical formula based on the Gregorian solar calendar.

    The Orthdox churches use a different formula, which explains why Orthodox Easter is May 1 this year. (The dates will agree in 2008.)
     
    #7 rsr, Mar 25, 2005
  8. Debby in Philly

    Debby in Philly Active Member

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    Math? Western Easter is simply
    the first Sunday
    after the first full moon
    after the first day of spring.
     
    #8 Debby in Philly, Mar 25, 2005
  9. rsr

    rsr <b> 7,000 posts club</b>
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    Not quite.

    U.S. NAVAL OBSERVATORY

    The ecclesiastical equinox, for example, is always March 21. This year, the actual equinox was March 20.
     
    #9 rsr, Mar 25, 2005
  10. ktn4eg

    ktn4eg New Member

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    Good thing that God's Son remembered all that when it came time for Him to be offered up as our Passover Lamb.

    Of course, since the Bible says that He was already "slain from before the foundation of the earth," maybe all the technicalities didn't matter back in Century One A. D.

    Whenever the crucifixion was (and there ARE some who'll take you to the mat if you even MENTION something about "Good Friday"!), it was EXACTLY right on time. [Thus, PROVING that Jesus could NOT have been a Baptist preacher!]

    And, sure enough, when it came time to RISE, He did JUST WHAT HE SAID HE'D DO, JUST WHEN HE SAID HE'D DO IT, and there wasn't any committee there to table the motion or tie up the vote either!!!

    And, JUST AS HE SAID HE'D DO, someday (and yours truly thinks it's gonna be real soon), He's going to come back for us!

    "Even so, come, LORD JESUS!"
     
    #10 ktn4eg, Mar 27, 2005
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