# Should there be special "Easter sermon" or business as usual?



## shackleton (Mar 20, 2008)

If a church is preaching through a book of the bible, say Acts, and Easter comes up, should the pastor stop his sermon series due to the "holiday" and all the visitors and do a special sermon about the resurrection and what it did for us? Or should he just continue with business as usual?


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Mar 20, 2008)

Depends on the position of the local church or denomination concerning "Holy Days".


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## Grymir (Mar 20, 2008)

As long as Jesus doesn't get the day off, who cares?


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## danmpem (Mar 20, 2008)

Why is it that the Resurrection doesn't get any pulpit time the entire year except for Easter Sunday? Or is it just my imagination?


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## Barnpreacher (Mar 20, 2008)

I'm preaching through Romans on Lord's Day mornings, and so this Lord's Day morning I'll be in Romans as usual.

If Christ was raised for our justification, how can something as essential as the resurrection only get face time once a year?


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## JBaldwin (Mar 20, 2008)

The resurrection gets a lot of attention all year round at our church. Our pastor decided to make the day special by having a baptism, accepting new members and moving our monthly Lord's Table to Easter Sunday. We're going to have a grand time!


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## Southern Presbyterian (Mar 20, 2008)

Since we celebrate the resurrection every Lord's Day, I see no reason why it shouldn't be, as you say, "business as usual."


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## fredtgreco (Mar 20, 2008)

I will be continuing in 1 Kings. In God's providence, I have the marvelous passage in 1 Kings 8:12_ff._ which deals with Solomon's Temple Dedication prayer.

At the same time, we seize upon opportunities to draw people to the resurrection through our hymns.


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## Pergamum (Mar 21, 2008)

Southern Presbyterian said:


> Since we celebrate the resurrection every Lord's Day, I see no reason why it shouldn't be, as you say, "business as usual."



We don't really. 

We often speak of Christ's death and forget about his resurrection. Even if the Lord's Day is a celebration, we often do not focus on this particular aspect of the resurection of Christ. Most messages get truncated at "Jesus died for our sins." Period. No further.

I see no reason why it should not be business as usual, but I also see no reason why special focus could be shined on the resurrection aspect of the work of Christ.


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## AV1611 (Mar 21, 2008)

Backwoods Presbyterian said:


> Depends on the position of the local church or denomination concerning "Holy Days".



Indeed, and in my book Holy Days are bad!!


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## Reformed Covenanter (Mar 21, 2008)

Southern Presbyterian said:


> Since we celebrate the resurrection every Lord's Day, I see no reason why it shouldn't be, as you say, "business as usual."


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## Reformed Covenanter (Mar 21, 2008)

AV1611 said:


> Backwoods Presbyterian said:
> 
> 
> > Depends on the position of the local church or denomination concerning "Holy Days".
> ...



52 holy days a year is enough for me.


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## Semper Fidelis (Mar 21, 2008)

We'll be having a service with our neighboring Japanese-speaking Church (they meet on the other side of the wall). It's the first time in the almost 3 years that we've worshipped together. I'm just happy that we have the opportunity to do so and that many other Japanese will be invited to the area. There's never a bad week to remind of first principles:
[bible]1 Corinthians 15:3-4[/bible]


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## Seb (Mar 21, 2008)

What about the mindset of "We have a lot of unsaved visitors that show up for the Easter morning service" 

Shouldn't that reality change the message and tone of the Resurrection morning service to be more evangelical and simplistic than usual?


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## Pergamum (Mar 21, 2008)

Celebrating days besides the Sabbath is not prohibited, just never to be demanded.

The Puritans often declared special days of public fasting. Were they sinning? Was the Sabbath, 52 "holy days" a year enough for them?

I rejoice if the church takes a special interest in the resurrection on what is referred to as Easter.


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## C. Matthew McMahon (Mar 21, 2008)

The Post Reformation pastors and theologians of the day, following the Reformers, abolished Easter (Ishtar, Astarte), among other things. In June 1647, England Parliament, headed by the Puritans at Westminster, passed legislation abolishing Christmas and other holidays: “Forasmuch as the feast of the nativity of Christ, Easter, Whitsuntide, and other festivals, commonly called holy-days, have been heretofore superstitiously used and observed; be it ordained, that the said feasts, and all other festivals, commonly called holy-days, be no longer observed as festivals; any law, statute, custom, constitution, or canon, to the contrary in anywise not withstanding.” (Daniel Neal, The History of the Puritans (London, 1837; rpt. Minneapolis: Klock , p. 45).​I would keep the Lord's Day as the Lord's Day and continue as normal (though there is nothing normal about worship).


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## jaybird0827 (Mar 21, 2008)

We do not celebrate the resurrection of Christ any more, or any less, on any particular Lord's Day.

The offer of grace through the gospel of Jesus Christ is appropriate and possible within the context of the preaching the whole counsel of God, and our pastor, by the grace of God, somehow finds a way to decare that offer, in context, practically every Lord's Day.


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## Pergamum (Mar 22, 2008)

Special fasting days were once called by countries and churches as well. I.e. special days were set aside for special purposes.

I see nothing wrong with focusing on the resurrection during a certain time of year, as long as it is seen as optional and not obligatory. 

Or in times of national disaster, to focus a special day upon those disasters.


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## Kevin (Mar 22, 2008)

The birth, life, death, & resurection of our Lord & Saviour was such a world transforming event that everything has changed because of it. 

Even the way we measure time has changed!

For Christians to ignore the extent of this transformation is "sub-biblical" in my opinion.

For a "Christian" to pretend that this Sunday is not the very day that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, was resurected from the dead is on the same level as the "christian" who denies the virgin birth in my opinion.

If Christ was "really" born of a virgin then he was (in addition to all of the theological & metapysical issues) BORN. That means on an actual date, the Saviour of all mankind was born. And in turn he died. Not "in theory" or "in eternity", but in space & in time. 

So for any Christian to NOT recognise this Lords Day as THE Resurection Day, is to pretend that Jesus is simply an idea. I happen to believe that Jesus is more then a mental construct, I believe that he is a real person who; lived, died, & rose again to save us from our sins.l


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## bookslover (Mar 22, 2008)

I think it's a good idea to have a special focus on the Resurrection at Easter time, if only because churches usually get extra visitors and the "twice a year Christians" at Easter. The pastor of my church has had a series of sermons from Revelation 5 during the run-up to Easter.


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## turmeric (Mar 22, 2008)

Whoa, Kevin! Calling people "Christians" in quotemarks because they don't observe Easter? I could go either way on Easter, it's probably not the correct day, but people do try harder to preach the Gospel that day...but *no one here is denying the incarnation of Christ or His resurrection in space and time! We don't do Gnosticism here!* It strikes me as very uncharitable to doubt another's profession over a day.

[Bible]Romans 14:4-7[/bible]


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## py3ak (Mar 22, 2008)

No doubt it is better for people to think about the Resurrection once a year than not at all; but I do feel that at least in some cases making a special season for it actually subconsciously restricts people to thinking about it only at that time. Thus in many churches the hymnal sections on incarnation and resurrection are employed only once a year. Pragmatically that is a very great objection to having such particular festivals.


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## Backwoods Presbyterian (Mar 22, 2008)

py3ak said:


> No doubt it is better for people to think about the Resurrection once a year than not at all; but I do feel that at least in some cases making a special season for it actually subconsciously restricts people to thinking about it only at that time. Thus in many churches the hymnal sections on incarnation and resurrection are employed only once a year. Pragmatically that is a very great objection to having such particular festivals.




Amen!!!!!


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## Kevin (Mar 22, 2008)

Sorry, Meg. I didn't meant to imply that I doubted anyones profession. 

I is just getting to me a bit that those of us on the conservative end of the reformed spectrum seem to be more focused on the idea of the resurection. More than the historical fact of it. 

In our zeal to be "truely" reformed we are sometimes in danger of making it all a bit too much of an idea. That was my concern anyway. Sorry if it didn't come out well.


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## Bygracealone (Mar 22, 2008)

Kevin said:


> The birth, life, death, & resurection of our Lord & Saviour was such a world transforming event that everything has changed because of it.
> 
> Even the way we measure time has changed!
> 
> ...



Kevin, that's the whole point behind celebrating it all year round. He did in fact raise from the dead, historically in real space and time, on the third day. That's THE reason we worship on Sunday--because Christ rose from the dead on that day. It's also why it's called the LORD'S Day--it's His day and it's His day every week in a very special way that the other days are not. When He rose from the dead on the third day, He claimed that day for Himself in a way that will be celebrated throughout eternity as we enjoy the eternal Sabbath with our Lord. Every Lord's Day is a foreshadow and a taste of that eternal rest that awaits us. 

There's no basis for taking one of His days and saying this is the day we will remember such things in a special way. Rather, every Lord's Day ought to carry with it the great weight and glory that belongs to it as it reminds us of what our Savior has done for us and why it is we gather together on this particular day of each week. Would that Christ's Church would come to a place where every Lord's Day is celebrated with as much joy and anticipation as people give to the Lord's Days related to Easter and Christmas... You see, it's not about bringing down those who celebrate such days; rather, it's about encouraging people to learn to celebrate this reality every Lord's Day. 

May you and all on this list have a blessed Lord's Day tomorrow. 

By the way, I'll be preaching on the subject of the Law and the Gospel tomorrow... 

Blessings!


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## BlackCalvinist (Mar 23, 2008)

My pastor has Anglican leanings, so he's preaching according to the Church calendar.


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## Hippo (Mar 23, 2008)

At my church we were all encouraged to make a special effort to ask our non-christian friends and family to attend for an Easter service and we have just had a stonking sermon concerning the basic resurection narative.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). 
John 20:15-16 (ESV)

The very powerful central message being that Mary did not reconise Jesus until he called her by name. How wonderfully Calvinistic is that!


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## Herald (Mar 23, 2008)

If the preacher is proclaiming God's word then it would be his discretion.


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## Herald (Mar 23, 2008)

danmpem said:


> Why is it that the Resurrection doesn't get any pulpit time the entire year except for Easter Sunday? Or is it just my imagination?



Dan, I can only answer for my church. The resurrection is proclaimed weekly. And by weekly I mean just that. Weekly.


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## Herald (Mar 23, 2008)

JBaldwin said:


> The resurrection gets a lot of attention all year round at our church. Our pastor decided to make the day special by having a baptism, accepting new members and moving our monthly Lord's Table to Easter Sunday. We're going to have a grand time!



Wonderful!


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## Herald (Mar 23, 2008)

Seb said:


> What about the mindset of "We have a lot of unsaved visitors that show up for the Easter morning service"
> 
> Shouldn't that reality change the message and tone of the Resurrection morning service to be more evangelical and simplistic than usual?



Steve,

I understand that sentiment but I would not change how the resurrection is preached. It edifies the saints and convicts the sinner. Preach it in power and trust in our sovereign God to accomplish His will.


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