# Is the Church You Attend/Lead Having Special Services This Week?



## Backwoods Presbyterian (Apr 21, 2011)

"Easter" talk seems to have been slow this year so let me  and  a bit by asking a simple question.

Is the Church You Attend/Lead Having Special Services This Week?

Are you altering from your "ordinary" service schedule and having worship services tonight and/or Friday and/or extraordinary focus upon the Resurrection this Lord's Day?

Or are you having an "ordinary" Lord's Day this weekend as if this Lord's Day was July 10, 2011?


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## Southern Presbyterian (Apr 21, 2011)

Every Lord's Day is special! Therefore, this Lord's Day will be like any other.


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## sastark (Apr 21, 2011)

Yes: We are having a Good Friday service tomorrow night. We have a joint service with a Korean Presbyterian church in town. 

I am happy to answer the poll, but respectfully decline to debate the issue at this time.


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## Zenas (Apr 21, 2011)

Easter egg hunt.


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## Herald (Apr 21, 2011)

Southern Presbyterian said:


> Every Lord's Day is special! Therefore, this Lord's Day will be like any other.



Amen.


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## Bill The Baptist (Apr 21, 2011)

Herald said:


> Southern Presbyterian said:
> 
> 
> > Every Lord's Day is special! Therefore, this Lord's Day will be like any other.
> ...


 
Except that the world is ending on May 21st. Didn't everyone get the memo? I hope we all enjoy our last Easter on earth.


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## Gage Browning (Apr 21, 2011)

My church is not doing Good Friday, and I don't know why, not really an issue for me. But one Church in Fort Worth (PCA) is having a Maundy Thurs service, and not Good Friday. Interesting....


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## Tripel (Apr 21, 2011)

Yes, we are having special services, and I'm glad we do so. 

Good Friday service on Friday evening (including a cantata by our choir)
Youth-led service early on Sunday morning
Morning worship service (regular start time, but a longer service than normal)
No Sunday School


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## baron (Apr 21, 2011)

Yes our church is having a Good Friday service. Service time is 6:30pm if any one wants to join us.

I remember the good old day's when a former church I went to had Good Friday service that started at 12:00pm and would last for 3 hours. We would have various ministers from other Baptist churches each speaking on one of the seven saying of Christ. This would be broadcasted live on the radio.

I also remember when employer's used to give their employees half a day off, so they could attend Good Friday service.

Oh the good old days.


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## Curt (Apr 21, 2011)

We will have our normal service. I will continue in my series on James.


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## athanatos (Apr 21, 2011)

Nothing for Good Friday, but Easter we'll have a free breakfast


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## AThornquist (Apr 21, 2011)

Normal service, though there will be a Resurrection message (not because we feel obligated, but because it's a good opportunity). I'm glad we don't have a "Good Friday" service, although I really wouldn't care if we did have one.


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## Marrow Man (Apr 21, 2011)

We will have a service this evening (which I refuse to call MT), and I will be preaching on the two thieves passage from Luke 23. The Lord's Day will be the Lord's Day as usual, and I will continue my preaching through 2 Peter per usual. We will also have our Sunday evening psalms service, with the one "special" thing being I will be looking at Psalm 16.

Oh, and I changed our church sign to read: "Come celebrate the resurrection with us (every Sunday)."


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## Mindaboo (Apr 21, 2011)

Our church is holding a Maundy Thursday service but not a Good Friday service. Not sure why our session chose one over the other. I don't know that I mind one way or the other, or that I am convinced that I need to go. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. I am not sure what our pastor will do on Sunday. This is his first year with us, but I am sure whatever he preaches on it will be wonderful. He just finished a series on the parables. Last week he didn't preach about Palm Sunday, although he did bring it up in the children's message.


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## Joseph Scibbe (Apr 21, 2011)

My church, Mars Hill, is going huge this year. YouTube - Easter Celebration at Qwest Field I am pretty excited for this. I am sure many here won't like what is happening.


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## Tripel (Apr 21, 2011)

Unashamed 116 said:


> My church, Mars Hill, is going huge this year. YouTube - Easter Celebration at Qwest Field I am pretty excited for this. I am sure many here won't like what is happening.


 
I'm all for it. I hope a huge crowd is in attendance, and I look forward to hearing all about it.


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## Jack K (Apr 21, 2011)

Good Friday service. Plus a fellowship brunch added on Sunday morning. I don't think doing something to celebrate the resurrection a bit extra on Easter necessarily means we fail to fully celebrate it the rest of the time.

As a downtown church with a long history in the city, my church gets a huge number of once-a-year visitors on Easter Sunday. The other (liberal) downtown churches all make a big splash. We don't really change things much except for having extra seating and inviting folks to stay and eat with us.


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## SolaScriptura (Apr 21, 2011)

My church isn't doing anything special for Easter. But I'm not saying that in an "I'm so proud of how serious we are about not acknowledging holidays" type of way. If my church did something, or if they don't, I'm just going to church to worship like any other Lord's Day.


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## JonathanHunt (Apr 21, 2011)

Technically not, as I am concluding my preaching throught the gospel of Mark this Sunday which just happens to be... the Resurrection (ok, I did sort of engineer it a bit).

But as for special services, no, but we are taking part in a meeting tomorrow at the local presbyterian church (well, I am doing the prayer) so I voted 'sort of'


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## puritanpilgrim (Apr 21, 2011)

This Sunday we will celebrate the death of Christ, just like we do every Sunday, through the Lord's Supper.


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## athanatos (Apr 21, 2011)

SolaScriptura said:


> My church isn't doing anything special for Easter. But I'm not saying that in an "I'm so proud of how serious we are about not acknowledging holidays" type of way. If my church did something, or if they don't, I'm just going to church to worship like any other Lord's Day.



I heard from a Weslyan minister how he is appalled at how backward Christians are that we either celebrate secular holidays (mother's day, July 4th, valentine's day, et.c) but not Christian holidays (Advent, Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, etc.) ... or else _none at all_.

Obviously, Paul makes the point that they are all roughly the same. No day is holier than another. The days are evil. _We_ belong to the Lord. So, I am not sure if I really care; which from what I interpret, was your point.


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## NaphtaliPress (Apr 21, 2011)

I think same here (we'll see); providentially I have not been to my current church on an 'Easter' Lord's day since transferring membership. I firmly believe the original Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God which reads: "Festival-days, vulgarly called holy-days, having no warrant in the word of God, are not to be continued." It is certainly sad that in our day, it is apt to say that the dog has returned to its vomit. 



AThornquist said:


> Normal service, though there will be a Resurrection message (not because we feel obligated, but because it's a good opportunity). I'm glad we don't have a "Good Friday" service, although I really wouldn't care if we did have one.


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## seajayrice (Apr 21, 2011)

Good Friday service with the best musicians our money can buy.


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## AThornquist (Apr 21, 2011)

seajayrice said:


> Good Friday service with the best musicians our money can buy.



Hahaha! You must be gettin' ripped from all that pot stirring you do.


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## jwithnell (Apr 21, 2011)

Our Friday service is among my favorite of the year -- an intimate gathering of God's covenant people focusing of Christ the lamb and the priest!


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## JM (Apr 21, 2011)

I believe we are having a demonstration of Passover and what shadowed. After that the Gospel will be preached.


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## Herald (Apr 21, 2011)

Bill The Baptist said:


> Except that the world is ending on May 21st. Didn't everyone get the memo? I hope we all enjoy our last Easter on earth.



I sure am glad the world is ending on May 21st. I get to turn 50 on May 17th. Made it by four days. Woo hoo!


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## Gesetveemet (Apr 21, 2011)

NaphtaliPress said:


> It is certainly sad that in our day, it is apt to say that the dog has returned to its vomit.



Not all dogs eat vomit.

27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the
dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from
their masters' table.

Have a blessed Lord's day,


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## Rufus (Apr 21, 2011)

> My church, Mars Hill, is going huge this year. YouTube - Easter Celebration at Qwest Field I am pretty excited for this. I am sure many here won't like what is happening.



I'm good with it - in fact I've prayed for it.


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## MMasztal (Apr 21, 2011)

We do the whole deal- Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Sunrise service plus regular Sunday service. Add to that a “Treasure Hunt” for the kids. At least I got the session to rename the hunt from “Easter Egg Hunt”.

Of course, our church is packed on "Resurrection Sunday" as it is on the Christmas Eve service. What bothers me is that the emphasis given these services smacks of “High Church” and the lost souls who sacrifice their valuable time to visit church on those 2 days probably think they are doing a righteous duty in attending, but not realizing they continue to be lost.


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## Quatchu (Apr 21, 2011)

The church I'm temporarily been at since October, has Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Services. As a few around here know, my wife is currently living in the U.S while i await a immigrant visa to follow. She mentioned that the church she has been attending has Good Friday Service tomorrow night. Personally i though it was odd because all Good Friday services i had ever heard of were at 11am. Then i realized the difference is that in Canada, Good Friday a holiday were schools, banks, stores, jobs are closed for the day, while in the U.S it is not so naturally it would be at night when people can go.


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## Curt (Apr 21, 2011)

Casting no aspersions, here, but I am more than mildly surprised at the vote count and responses.


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## Marrow Man (Apr 21, 2011)

> Casting no aspersions, here, but I am more than mildly surprised at the vote count and responses.



Sometimes Reformation progresses slowly. It took years for Zwingli to move worship services from Latin to German.


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## SolaScriptura (Apr 21, 2011)

NaphtaliPress said:


> I firmly believe the original Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God which reads: "Festival-days, vulgarly called holy-days, having no warrant in the word of God, are not to be continued."



Thank you for sharing what you firmly believe.


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## Edward (Apr 21, 2011)

Gage Browning said:


> But one Church in Fort Worth (PCA) is having a Maundy Thurs service, and not Good Friday.



We do Maundy Thursday as well. We also have midday devotionals with box lunches available during this week.


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## NaphtaliPress (Apr 21, 2011)

How kind of you to share your thankfulness.


SolaScriptura said:


> NaphtaliPress said:
> 
> 
> > I firmly believe the original Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God which reads: "Festival-days, vulgarly called holy-days, having no warrant in the word of God, are not to be continued."
> ...


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## jawyman (Apr 21, 2011)

We worshipped tonight and celebrated Holy Communion and then on Easter Sunday we have an early service followed by a brunch followed by regular worship.


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## glazer1972 (Apr 21, 2011)

Yes.


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## CharlieJ (Apr 22, 2011)

Today (Good Friday), those of us who can make it are assembling during lunch to read Scripture and pray. The meditations will be focused on the cross.


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## jwithnell (Apr 22, 2011)

The Puritans held special days and services for events such as elections, the start of a collegiate year, graduation etc. I don't think we can read the WCF to say that worship services may only be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings. 

The reformers would have had conniptions over a Sunday called by a pagan fertility rite complete with bunnies, eggs and so forth -- and so do I. But that doesn't exclude a Sunday that specifically celebrates the resurrection of Christ. I also think it's fair to say that early on, there may have been an over-reaction to anything that could possibly be familiar to the Roman church, hence any service name that could be associated with the liturgical calendar. Of the latter, I have to disagree, not because I want to be a #%$* Papist, but because it is a matter of Christian liberty for a local session to decide what special services it wishes to plan. Because these are announced as worship services, they should be exactly that using the forms given to us in scripture.


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## Tripel (Apr 22, 2011)

Curt said:


> Casting no aspersions, here, but I am more than mildly surprised at the vote count and responses.


 
I admit I am surprised to. Pleasantly surprised.


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## EverReforming (Apr 22, 2011)

We're having a Good Friday service this evening.


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## Herald (Apr 22, 2011)

My conscience is sensitive to this topic when it has to do with the Lord's Day worship. If a church decides to have a Good Friday service, that's all well in good. However, such a service should not be binding on church members because scripture does not require it. God has commanded one day in seven for the church to gather corporately. If the church finds cause to come together more often that is wonderful, but the Lord's Day stands apart from all other days of the week.


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## Tripel (Apr 22, 2011)

Herald said:


> If a church decides to have a Good Friday service, that's all well in good. However, such a service should not be binding on church members because scripture does not require it.



How would a Good Friday service be binding on church members? I'm not aware of any churches that require attendance at such services.


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## nwink (Apr 22, 2011)

jwithnell said:


> The Puritans held special days and services for events such as elections, the start of a collegiate year, graduation etc. I don't think we can read the WCF to say that worship services may only be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday mornings.



A special service for elections is one thing; observing a Roman holy-day is another. My understanding is that, based on the RPW, the Puritans understood that only what God has commanded regarding His worship should be observed. Therefore, they did not observe man-made holy days since they only observed the holy days God has commanded. From the creation of the world to the Mosaic administration, the weekly Sabbath was the only holy-day instituted by God. The additional sabbaths and holy days instituted by God in the Mosaic administration were to preach/point-forward-to Christ to the people, and these were done away with after Christ's coming. Therefore, I understand the Puritans observed the only holy day that God has commanded to be observed to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath.


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## Herald (Apr 22, 2011)

Tripel said:


> Herald said:
> 
> 
> > If a church decides to have a Good Friday service, that's all well in good. However, such a service should not be binding on church members because scripture does not require it.
> ...


 
Some churches have a sort of systemic understanding that special services are to be attended by all. I've seen it first hand. That's an ecclesiastical problem at it's root. However, it's good to remind folks they are not required to attend these special services. 

Sent from my most excellent Motorola Atrix


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## LawrenceU (Apr 22, 2011)

Every Lord's Day is a day we celebrate the Resurrection. As Providence would have it the text this week is Luke 18:31-34. I've been preaching through Luke's gospel since January 2010 and this is where we happen to be, without tinkering.


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## Tripel (Apr 22, 2011)

Herald said:


> Some churches have a sort of systemic understanding that special services are to be attended by all. I've seen it first hand.



Doesn't sound like a church I'd want anything to do with. 



> it's good to remind folks they are not required to attend these special services.



I understand what you're saying, but in actuality that would be quite silly for a church to announce that attendance is not required for something. If heard that, I'd think "well since when are you requiring attendance at anything???"

A lot of churches (like mine) host lots of events and services throughout the year. Missions conference, Thanksgiving celebration, Reformation conference, family life conference, Wednesday night activities, Sunday school, etc. It would be very odd to announce these events and then stress that they are optional. 
Of course they are optional. Attendance is not mandatory at anything. Naturally, churches encourage participation and hope that many will attend, but that is far from requiring attendance.


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## KMK (Apr 22, 2011)

We have a 'special' service every Easter because it is the one week out of the year we do not have access to our building (a community building) because the Lions Club holds their annual pancake breakfast. This year we are partnering with another local church in a combined service. It has been a great opportunity to foster unity within our community.


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## NaphtaliPress (Apr 22, 2011)

For arguments why the RCC calendar should be purged from our worship rather than aping it or attempting to purge it of superstition and idolatry, see this previous thread; and I point yet again to the arguments of George Gillespie against the observance of holy days.
http://www.puritanboard.com/f67/what-do-monuments-past-idolatry-church-64808/
English Popish Ceremonies (Against Holy Days) | Naphtali Press


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## Curt (Apr 22, 2011)

Herald said:


> it's good to remind folks they are not required to attend these special services.



Maybe we could also remind them that they should be at the corporate gathering of the family on the Lord's Day.


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## T.A.G. (Apr 22, 2011)

I wish...but no need to be sad, going to "secret chruch" led by david platt from 7pm-1am


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## au5t1n (Apr 22, 2011)

My church follows the church calendar. I don't complain much. There was a Maundy Thursday service. If I hadn't had a powerful headache and a lot of schoolwork to do, I still would have missed it, though out of personal conviction and not protest.


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## MLCOPE2 (Apr 22, 2011)

Our church is having a class before the service to ask the question "Did the resurrection happen?" followed by a light breakfast then the service with a resurrection sermon from Psalm 16.


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## Herald (Apr 22, 2011)

Curt said:


> Maybe we could also remind them that they should be at the corporate gathering of the family on the Lord's Day.



Brother, we're constantly doing that. It's a never ceasing battle.


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## Herald (Apr 22, 2011)

Herald said:


> However, it's good to remind folks they are not required to attend these special services.



I didn't do a good job conveying my intent. In our church we wouldn't need to remind them because we don't have special services. My comment was directed more to PB members.


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## Gage Browning (Apr 22, 2011)

NaphtaliPress said:


> For arguments why the RCC calendar should be purged from our worship rather than aping it or attempting to purge it of superstition and idolatry, see this previous thread; and I point yet again to the arguments of George Gillespie against the observance of holy days.
> http://www.puritanboard.com/f67/what-do-monuments-past-idolatry-church-64808/
> English Popish Ceremonies (Against Holy Days) | Naphtali Press


 
I don't observe the Church Calendar, don't think men should preach using it and don't especially like any notion of Holy Days, except I can't get past Col. 2:16 "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath." So it seems to me that if someone wants to observe holy days, maybe I should let them without my insinuation of it being a negative thing.


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## Gage Browning (Apr 22, 2011)

Yea- I'm with you Joshua...just seems to me that there may be some room for that to go both ways. Not that I agree with it...but vauge enough that I can't say, "Rip up that Popish Calendar you follow"! as much as I want to...


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## FenderPriest (Apr 22, 2011)

We're having a service tonight, but we won't be able to attend. Our son breaks down at 7pm, the service starts at 7:30pm. It'll be the first time in my life that I won't be attending a Good Friday service. I think I _might_ still be a Christian, but I will miss receiving the Word preached and the Lord's Supper tonight.


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## Scottish Lass (Apr 22, 2011)

We have the situation where regular attenders/members will come to a special service like last night's but never come to Sunday evening worship, Wednesday prayer, etc. While none of those are required, it's frustrating.


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## Curt (Apr 22, 2011)

Scottish Lass said:


> We have the situation where regular attenders/members will come to a special service like last night's but never come to Sunday evening worship, Wednesday prayer, etc. While none of those are required, it's frustrating.



You are not alone in this regard.


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## Osage Bluestem (Apr 22, 2011)

Our Church is having Brooks Douglass : FBC Colleyville

I will be spending Easter in Oklahoma though. I'll either go to my mother's church IFB or my grandparents church SBC. Unless something happens and I have to wing it then I'll just worship at the most convienient Baptist or faithful Presbyterian church I can find.


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## AThornquist (Apr 22, 2011)

T.A.G. said:


> I wish...but no need to be sad, going to "secret chruch" led by david platt from 7pm-1am


 
Cool!  A local church (that is like a sister church) is hosting "Secret Church" as well via web-streaming, but I won't be going. Instead I will be enjoying BBQ, good wine, and cigars with brothers from church. "Secret Church" was second on my preferred events, though. Have a blessed time!


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## Skyler (Apr 22, 2011)

Backwoods Presbyterian said:


> Is the Church You Attend/Lead Having Special Services This Week?



Yes. We're having a guest speaker in Sunday evening to talk about his campus evangelism ministry. A couple of our young people who went to Haiti will also be showing slides from their trip the same evening.


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## N. Eshelman (Apr 22, 2011)

We will have the Lord's Supper on the Lord's Day- but it is just happened to occur on what is commonly called Easter. 

Now if someone could explain the formula for picking the day. Maybe if I were better at math, I could be in a liturgical church- I can count to 7. Worship every 7th. But this I cannot figure out! 




> To each day in a calendar year, the Easter cycle implicitly assigns a lunar age, which is a whole number from 1 to 30. The moon's age starts at 1 and increases to 29 or 30, then starts over again at 1. Each period of 29 (or 30) days of the moon's age makes up a lunar month. With occasional exceptions, 30-day lunar months alternate with 29-day months. So a lunar year of 12 lunar months is reckoned to have 354 days. The solar year is 11 days longer than the lunar year. Supposing a solar and lunar year start on the same day, with a crescent new moon indicating the beginning of a new lunar month on 1 January, then the lunar year will finish first, and 11 days of the new lunar year will have already passed by the time the new solar year starts. After two years, the difference will have accumulated to 22: the start of lunar months fall 11 days earlier in the solar calendar each year. These days in excess of the solar year over the lunar year are called epacts (Greek: epakta hèmerai). It is necessary to add them to the day of the solar year to obtain the correct day in the lunar year. Whenever the epact reaches or exceeds 30, an extra (so-called embolismic or intercalary) month of 30 days has to be inserted into the lunar calendar; then 30 has to be subtracted from the epact.
> Note that leap days are not counted in the schematic lunar calendar: The cycle assigns to the first day of March after the leap-day the same age of the moon that the day would have had if there had been no leap-day. The nineteen-year cycle (Metonic cycle) assumes that 19 tropical years are as long as 235 synodic months. So after 19 years the lunations should fall the same way in the solar years, and the epacts should repeat. However, 19 × 11 = 209 ≡ 29 (mod 30), not 0 (mod 30); that is, 209 divided by 30 leaves a remainder of 29 instead of being an even multiple of 30. So after 19 years, the epact must be corrected by +1 day in order for the cycle to repeat. This is the so-called saltus lunae or moon's leap. The extra 209 days fill seven embolismic months, for a total of 19 × 12 + 7 = 235 lunations. The sequence number of the year in the 19-year cycle is called the "Golden Number", and is given by the formula
> GN = Y mod 19 + 1
> That is, the remainder of the year number Y in the Christian era when divided by 19, plus one.[16]
> Using the method just described, a period of 19 calendar years is also divided into 19 lunar years of 12 or 13 lunar months each. In each calendar year (beginning on 1 January) one of the lunar months must be the first one within the calendar year to have its 14th day (its formal full moon) on or after 21 March. This lunar month is the Paschal or Easter-month, and Easter is the Sunday after its 14th day (or, saying the same thing, the Sunday within its third week.) The Paschal lunar month always begins on a date in the 29-day period from 8 March to 5 April inclusive. Its 14th day, therefore, always falls on a date between 21 March to 18 April inclusive, and the following Sunday then necessarily falls on a date in the range 22 March to 25 April inclusive. In the solar calendar Easter is called a moveable feast since its date varies within a 35-day range. But in the lunar calendar, Easter is always the third Sunday in the Paschal lunar month, and is no more "moveable" than any holiday that is fixed to a particular day of the week and week within a month.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Apr 22, 2011)

Even before I knew better I always wondered why Easter and its associated holidays moved around the calendar like it does. It seems like the liturgists would have figured out the exact day/time of the crucifixion and built the made-up holy days around the fixed day/time.


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## Curt (Apr 22, 2011)

Backwoods Presbyterian said:


> Even before I knew better I always wondered why Easter and its associated holidays moved around the calendar like it does. It seems like the liturgists would have figured out the exact day/time of the crucifixion and built the made-up holy days around the fixed day/time.



Shouldn't there be a good chart at the DTS bookstore giving the exact date and time?


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## kodos (Apr 22, 2011)

First year since being converted (we are going on our third year!) we haven't gone to a Good Friday service. First year as Reformed Presbyterians of course 

That said - our family worship tonight went long and was all about His death, and what it means. Our kids (6 and younger) were transfixed.


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## Romans 8 Verse 28 (Apr 22, 2011)

NaphtaliPress said:


> I firmly believe the original Westminster Directory for the Public Worship of God which reads: "Festival-days, vulgarly called holy-days, having no warrant in the word of God, are not to be continued." It is certainly sad that in our day, it is apt to say that the dog has returned to its vomit.


 
My thoughts exactly, brother.


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## C. M. Sheffield (Apr 23, 2011)

puritanpilgrim said:


> This Sunday we will celebrate the death of Christ, just like we do every Sunday, through the Lord's Supper.



Your church observes the Lord's Supper weekly?


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## Andres (Apr 23, 2011)

C. M. Sheffield said:


> puritanpilgrim said:
> 
> 
> > This Sunday we will celebrate the death of Christ, just like we do every Sunday, through the Lord's Supper.
> ...


 
Ours does and I am glad we do.


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## Gage Browning (Apr 23, 2011)

Andres said:


> Ours does and I am glad we do.



Weekly communion at our Church as well....and am thankful for it!


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## ac7k (Apr 23, 2011)

We had a Good Friday service tonight... very solemn and had communion.


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## ddharr (Apr 23, 2011)

Our church did observe "good friday" and will have a breakfast Sunday morning. I have heard it argued 1. "The passover was commanded to be observed "forever" and thus this is the Christians' passover." "Just as circumcision was replaced by baptism so was the passover celebration replaced by death and the resurection". 

Yesterday was the first time in 12 years I attended a good friday service. Im not sure why I did or what to think of it. I certainly did not look upon the day as holy. At the time I had nothing pressing and had the evening off and looking for something for the family to do. We did go out for ice cream afterwards which we would not even consider on the Lords Day. So my question Is it the same as calling the whole day holy when the elders have an evening call to worship on a different day than the Lords Day?


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## Manuel (Apr 23, 2011)

athanatos said:


> Nothing for Good Friday, but Easter we'll have a free breakfast


while on other Sundays there's a charge?


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## kodos (Apr 23, 2011)

Gage Browning said:


> Andres said:
> 
> 
> > Ours does and I am glad we do.
> ...


 
Same here - grateful as well.


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## Rev. Todd Ruddell (Apr 23, 2011)

Gage Browning said:


> NaphtaliPress said:
> 
> 
> > For arguments why the RCC calendar should be purged from our worship rather than aping it or attempting to purge it of superstition and idolatry, see this previous thread; and I point yet again to the arguments of George Gillespie against the observance of holy days.
> ...


 

The "Holy Days" to which the Apostle alludes here are the days the Lord Himself had instituted in OT ceremony. The mixed multitude of the Asia minor Churches was having difficulty seeing that those who were formerly Jews had affinity to observing the OT ceremonies which were commanded by the Lord. The Gentiles had no such history and from the instruction received from the Jerusalem Synod in Acts 15 and 16.4 did not practice their observance. The Lord Himself put the "nail in the coffin" so to speak, on the OT ceremonies at 70AD, with the destruction of the Temple, and in the teaching and preaching of the Apostles (Hebrews 8.13). So let's distinguish between the Holy Days of the OT that were passing away in the Apostolic age from the man-made days of special worship that have intruded into divinely regulated worship. The problem addressed in Colossians 2 is indeed a difficult pastoral problem as to how Jews and Gentiles in the first century ought to maintain peace and unity. This is not the case with ceremonies the Lord has not commanded. As was stated above, my views are also with the Westminster Divines, that man-made holy days have no place in the worship of God. We will have no special service at CCRPC, "merely" the ordinary parts of religious worship for the edification and instruction of God's people.


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