Anglican Bishop: Church coped well over Easter

From Trinidad-

Anglican Bishop the Rt Rev Claude Berkley said the church coped "relatively well" in ministering to its flock amid covid19 restrictions over the Easter weekend."Usually, at Easter, attendance is higher than usual. But I would say we coped relatively well. Services and prayer meetings were offered by different parishes, mostly on social media," he told Tobago Newsday ."The response was gratifying, judging from the social media measurement and direct feedback."The Tobago-born Berkley said parishioners used technology to access the services.

"Another factor of encouragement was the moment of technological advance by persons who hitherto, resisted Many more mature persons would have migrated to social media."Berkley said although covid19 has changed the way people operate, they have been coping reasonably well so far."We have been comforting and consoling members and others by telephone and social media. And that expands to e-mail, WhatsApp, Messenger, to actual social distance conversations where possible "to encourage one another to pass the message along."

More here-

https://newsday.co.tt/2020/04/15/anglican-bishop-church-coped-well-over-easter/

There’s no church, but it’s still Easter and Christians are celebrating

From Channel 3000-

Bishop Michael Curry, head of the Episcopal Church, will be in two places at once this Sunday.

Thousands of Episcopalians and other Christians will see him deliver his Easter sermon from the pulpit of Washington National Cathedral at 11 a.m. He pretaped the sermon on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Curry himself will be sitting in his living room in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The effervescent preacher, who stole the ceremony at Prince Harry and Megan Markle’s wedding two years ago, may not even watch his own Easter sermon.

“I have never watched myself preach,” Curry said light-heartedly. “Maybe it’s humility, but I avoid that.”

Instead, the presiding bishop will pull out his iPad and watch another church’s service this Sunday.
It will be the first time in living memory he won’t be in church on Easter Sunday, Curry said. He’ll miss it, but said he sees a larger purpose at work.

“To love your neighbor is to love God. And one of the most loving things we can do this Sunday is not gather in a public assembly so that nobody else gets sick. It is an act of worship.”

More here-

https://www.channel3000.com/theres-no-church-but-its-still-easter-and-christians-are-celebrating/

Winner: We're losing Easter services. But we aren't losing Easter.

From Texas-

In its 1898 annual report to the diocese, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, — an African-American church founded about a decade earlier — explained the parish’s relatively modest number of baptisms and confirmations that year: Just one each, because the “usual day for such services” was Easter and the church had no service that Easter Sunday, “on account of smallpox anticipation.”

Over the past few weeks, Christians have adapted to the Sunday shutterings of churches — this time on account of coronavirus anticipation. But being barred from church on Easter feels like another matter altogether. As an Episcopal priest who’s also an American historian, I take some comfort in precedent. This will not be the first Easter churches have closed because of epidemics. Smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet fever: They’ve all closed churches on Easter Sundays past.

More here-

https://www.news-journal.com/opinion/winner-were-losing-easter-services-but-we-arent-losing-easter/article_15a209b0-7c0d-11ea-ad7c-a37ea331f380.html

Presiding Bishop who preached at Royal Wedding offers hope for churchgoers during COVID-19 pandemic

From North Carolina-

The bishop gave his perspective on processing an Easter with no family gatherings and no going to church. Curry likened the feeling to the first Easter: Jesus executed; his followers uncertain where God was; then the miracle of resurrection.

"Easter was about a tragedy that was turned into a triumph; about God working behind the scenes, invisibly, in ways that people didn't know," Curry said. "And if we work together with our God and together with each other we will find our way forward."

Curry gained global fame two years ago for his passion-filled sermon at Prince Harry and Megan's wedding. On Easter Sunday he is set to deliver the sermon at Washington's National Cathedral. But, because of COVID-19, Curry has already recorded it -- on his iPhone to be streamed live Sunday morning.

"So I'll be home, sitting in front of a computer screen, watching the service like everybody else by livestream," Curry said.

More here-

https://abc11.com/presiding-bishop-of-the-episcopal-church-michael-curry-nc-coronavirus-covid-19/6093944/

Idaho Episcopal Bishop On Keeping The Faith During Pandemic: 'We've Never Been Alone'

From Idaho-

As Christians around the world prepare to mark the holiest day on the Christian calendar, many will be worshiping under a shelter-in-place edict. As a result, faith leaders are planning to share an Easter message unlike any other, in the shadow of COVID-19.

"I'm hesitant to say that it's all going to be okay because it might not be for some people; but it can be holy," said Rev. Brian Thom, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho. "It's a time when God may not be more accessible, but we can more aware."

Thom visited with Morning Edition host George Prentice to share stories of sorrow, sacrifice and hope.

More here-

https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/post/idaho-episcopal-bishop-keeping-faith-during-pandemic-weve-never-been-alone#stream/0

The Easter of Empty Churches

From Atlantic-

In April of 2019—exactly a year ago next week—flames shot through the roof of Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral. Before long, the dread became the reality—there would be no Easter at Notre-Dame.
We could hardly have imagined there would be no Easter anywhere in Europe a year later.

The cathedral I serve, the American Cathedral in Paris, has been closed for three weeks now. It will likely be closed until the end of the month. But when we were forced to shut the gates by order of the government, we were hardly alone. This is the Easter of empty churches.

All churches, not just our churches, have been closed throughout Western Europe—the place where Christianity made its Faustian bargain, evolving from a small gathering of socially marginal believers to a dominant civilizational force.

The late Yale historian Jaroslav Pelikan wrote that, during the past 2,000 years, nothing had more forcefully brought forward the fundamental assumptions of each epoch in Western history than “the attempt to come to terms with the meaning of the figure of Jesus of Nazareth.” This, in a simple phrase, is the essence of Easter; on it hangs not hollow claims of privilege or longing for past grandeur, but the central idea of Christianity. But when the doors of the churches are barred, does any compulsion to make sense of Jesus’s story remain?

More here-

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/easter-empty-churches/609694/?fbclid=IwAR3O5LgB3Bzfci1jRCBfJD2u6JIw9VgQiztuctrl6bTu0uQ_VWtcuWB6Xww

Staying home on Easter is right for God, one another: Bishop Sean Rowe

From Northwest PA-

When I became a bishop in the Episcopal Church, I did not foresee the day when the president of the United States would be urging people to attend Easter services and I would be urging them to stay home. But here we are.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump told Bill Hemmer of Fox News that he hopes to see “packed churches all over the country” on Easter Sunday. I, on the other hand, am instructing my priests and people to celebrate the greatest feast of the Christian year at home because it is essential that we practice social distancing to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The resurrection of Jesus is, for me, the single most important event in human history. It is the moment at which God demonstrated once and for all that love is stronger than death. I never imagined I would do anything to diminish the joy that Christians take in celebrating this feast together. My heart ached when I informed my diocese that we would not be observing Holy Week and celebrating Easter in our churches. But the decision itself was not a difficult one.

More here-

https://www.goerie.com/opinion/20200327/staying-home-on-easter-is-right-for-god-one-another-bishop-sean-rowe

Churches won't be 'packed' for Easter despite Trump call

From Washington-

Most churches will remain closed on Easter despite President Trump saying Tuesday that he hoped the pandemic would be sufficiently checked by then to have them "packed."

"Wouldn’t it be great to have all the churches full?" Trump said during a Fox News interview. "You'll have packed churches all over our country. I think it'll be a beautiful time."

But after already canceling their in-person services through Easter because of the coronavirus pandemic, many churches are not prepared to risk reopening. Catholic and Episcopal dioceses in every state have canceled. Many megachurches, as well as smaller congregations, have made similar decisions, advising their members to participate in worship through live-streamed services.

In Ohio, Catholic bishops in mid-March worked with Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's administration to cancel all in-person church activities in keeping with the state's ban on gatherings of 100 or more people. On Sunday, the state issued a "stay at home" order through April 6 with an exemption for churches. Even with that order, Catholic churches in Ohio will remain closed through Easter, which is on April 12.

More here-

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/churches-wont-be-packed-for-easter-despite-trump-call

Olean pastors try to modernize Easter Sunday message

From Western New York-

Pastors also acknowledged that doing so is all the more important in an era of declining church attendance and Americans who are less religious than they used to be.

The percentage of American adults who identify as Christians dropped nearly 8 percent from 2007 to 2014 — from 78 percent to 71 percent, according to surveys by Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank. In that same time, according to the surveys, the percentage of American adults who are not religiously affiliated increased from 16 percent to 23 percent.

Such trends are often attributed to millennials. A 2018 Pew Research Center poll found that while 60 percent of adults 40 and over say religion is important to them, only 43 percent of people under 40 say the same.

“Hopefully the preaching could serve to activate people who’ve gotten away from the church and to attract people who haven’t been in the church,” said the Rev. Anthony Salim, pastor of St. Joseph Maronite Church. “Invite people back, and interest and attract people to be part of the community of the church.”

More here-

http://www.oleantimesherald.com/olean/olean-pastors-try-to-modernize-easter-sunday-message/article_0c35cea0-4097-5896-978e-b755165e5eca.html

He is Risen! A Blessed Easter to All!

Why Calculating Easter’s Date Is So Complicated

From Refinery 29 (Fascinating read)-

Unlike Christmas, which falls on the same date every year, Easter is what’s called a “moveable feast." That means that Easter falls on a different date from year to year, moving throughout the calendar. In 2019, Easter falls on April 21 — a full three weeks later than Easter in 2018, which fell on April 1. The way that Easter moves throughout the calendar has a surprising factor: the moon.

 

To understand way, we have to go back to the roots of Easter. The Bible doesn’t spell out the exact date that Easter occurs on, but it does say that Jesus was crucified during the Jewish holiday of Passover. According to the Catholic magazine America: The Jesuit Review, in the year 325, the Council of Nicaea decided to celebrate Easter “at the very time of Jesus’ Passion," the Christian term for the final days of Jesus' life before his death and resurrection. The Jewish calendar is calculated based on lunar months, so to link Easter with Passover, the Council of Nicaea decided that Easter would be observed “on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox.” Basically, because the moon affects when Passover falls, the moon also affects when Easter falls.

 

But this year, the vernal equinox fell on March 20, which was also a full moon. So, according to that calculation, Easter should have been held on the first Sunday after March 20, which was March 24. However, that wasn't the case — and we have to go into some more Church history to understand why.

 

More here-

 

 https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/04/229954/how-is-easter-date-determined-full-moon-2019

Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion Diocese of Mbamili, Anambra State, has read the riot act to priests and members of the laity who may involved in homosexuality, saying anyone caught in the act will be shown the way out of the diocese.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/anglican-communion-warns-priests-laity-against-homosexuality-2/

Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion Diocese of Mbamili, Anambra State, has read the riot act to priests and members of the laity who may involved in homosexuality, saying anyone caught in the act will be shown the way out of the diocese.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/anglican-communion-warns-priests-laity-against-homosexuality-2/

Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion Diocese of Mbamili, Anambra State, has read the riot act to priests and members of the laity who may involved in homosexuality, saying anyone caught in the act will be shown the way out of the diocese.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/04/anglican-communion-warns-priests-laity-against-homosexuality-2/

Easter 'surprise' greets members at St. Paul's Episcopal Church

From Lansing-

Members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church had an Easter surprise waiting for them when they walked into the century-old building on Sunday morning.

They expected to see the reception hall set up for Sunday service, as it had been over the past year while work continued on the elegant worship space rendered unsafe by a wind storm.

Instead, the Rev. Karen Lewis ushered them into the stained glass-adorned sanctuary that had been off limits since March 8, 2017.

"It was quite the surprise; very few people were aware," said Joseph Lehning, a member of the church's facilities task force. "They came in and saw the hall set up for a reception. Just seeing the reaction of people when they came in (was gratifying). You could see it on their faces – the jubilation, the surprise."

The church received an occupancy permit for the renovated sanctuary on Thursday, nearly 13 months after the wall of the church facing West Ottawa Street began pulling away from the rest of the building amid strong winds.

More here-

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2018/04/01/easter-st-pauls-episcopal-church-lansing/476769002/

How Easter became a #MeToo moment

From CNN-

But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense."
-- Luke 24:11

The men refused to listen to her story. She was publicly smeared as a whore. And when she emerged as a celebrated advocate, powerful men tried to silence her because she threatened their status.
Nevertheless she persisted.

The woman we're talking about, though, is not a leader in the #MeToo movement -- the viral
campaign raising awareness about sexual assault and harassment against women. She is Mary Magdalene, the first person Jesus appeared to after his resurrection, according to the New Testament, and the first person to preach the good news that he had been raised from the dead.

For billions of Christians around the world, Easter Sunday is a celebration of a risen savior. Yet what happened to Mary Magdalene shows that Easter can also be seen as something else -- a #MeToo moment, some pastors and biblical scholars say.

They say Easter is also a story about how charismatic female leaders such as Mary Magdalene -- and even Jesus himself -- were victimized by some of the same behavior that sparked the #MeToo movement: the sexually predatory behavior of men, the intimidation of women and an orchestrated attempt to silence women who drew too much attention when they spoke up.

More here-

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/30/world/easter-metoo-jesus/index.html

The Easter Effect and How It Changed the World

From The Wall Street Journal-

In the year 312, just before his victory at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge won him the undisputed leadership of the Roman Empire, Constantine the Great had a heavenly vision of Christian symbols. That augury led him, a year later, to end all legal sanctions on the public profession of Christianity.

Or so a pious tradition has it.

But there’s a more mundane explanation for Constantine’s decision: He was a politician who had shrewdly decided to join the winning side. By the early 4th century, Christians likely counted for between a quarter and a half of the population of the Roman Empire, and their exponential growth seemed likely to continue.

How did this happen? How did a ragtag band of nobodies from the far edges of the Mediterranean world become such a dominant force in just two and a half centuries? The historical sociology of this extraordinary phenomenon has been explored by Rodney Stark of Baylor University, who argues that Christianity modeled a nobler way of life than what was on offer elsewhere in the rather brutal society of the day. In Christianity, women were respected as they weren’t in classical culture and played a critical role in bringing men to the faith and attracting converts. In an age of plagues, the readiness of Christians to care for all the sick, not just their own, was a factor, as was the impressive witness to faith of countless martyrs. Christianity also grew from within because Christians had larger families, a byproduct of their faith’s prohibition of contraception, abortion and infanticide.

More here-

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-easter-effect-and-how-it-changed-the-world-1522418701?emailToken=e7174aed99ae34ccc989c1fa9baebf1dwubyRg5%2F9izIx%2FQw9l2WsXN1PyAdyRuzCFQD3juXDqDJmgAjH0pI16p%2FaZrfkZbtb5dgjhDpqHGu6YJGJLyBGfZsEFwn%2BmYAf6uQAivAF6E%3D

Misspelled Acomb sign proclaims 'Chris is Risen'

From The BBC

A church was presented with signs reading "Chris is risen" after a mix up at the printers.

Acomb Parish Church, in York, had ordered four banners saying 'Christ is Risen' but the 'T' was missed off the finished article.

However, assistant Curate Ned Lunn said the error was discovered before the signs were delivered.
A BBC Radio York Facebook post has been shared more than 3,000 times, prompting one person to reply 'More T vicar?'

Mr Lunn said: "I'm so glad the customer spotted the mistake. It'll save a bit of embarrassment and a lot of confusion.

"I had to check the four banners when I distributed them though, just to make sure.

"The pastor at the Baptist Church is actually called Chris and he's got to get up for a sunrise service at 6.30am on Easter Sunday.

"His predecessor didn't manage to get up for the service last year."

See it here-

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-35899023

EASTER IS BONKERS

From The Living Church- (Mark Clavier)

The older I grow the less I’m convinced that we know anything much about God. Everybody seems to have an opinion about him, and even people grounded in theology disagree vehemently with each other about the nature and attributes of the Almighty. But one thing I do know: God despises bores.

Easter reminds us of this. Put the redemption of the world into our hands, and we’d come up with something unimaginative, uninspiring, and probably much too believable. Perhaps we’d save the world through force: a mighty sign in the heavens or some other demonstration of heavenly power. Or perhaps we’d save the world by sentiment: a kind of saccharine, spiritual digestion of God as people come to experience “joy, joy, joy, joy down in their hearts.” Or, I don’t know, perhaps we’d have mankind somehow saved by gin, lace, and impeccable manners.
More here-

http://livingchurch.org/covenant/2017/05/01/easter-is-bonkers/?platform=hootsuite

President Carter, Am I a Christian?

From The New York Times-

Christians celebrate Easter on Sunday. But wait — do we really think Jesus literally rose from the dead?

I asked questions like that in a Christmas Day column, interviewing the Rev. Tim Keller, a prominent evangelical pastor. In this, the second of an occasional series, I decided to quiz former President Jimmy Carter. He’s a longtime Sunday school teacher and born-again evangelical but of a more liberal bent than Keller. Here’s our email conversation, edited for clarity.

ME How literally do you take the Bible, including miracles like the Resurrection?

PRESIDENT CARTER Having a scientific background, I do not believe in a six-day creation of the world that occurred in 4004 B.C., stars falling on the earth, that kind of thing. I accept the overall message of the Bible as true, and also accept miracles described in the New Testament, including the virgin birth and the Resurrection.

More here-

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/opinion/sunday/president-carter-am-i-a-christian.html?_r=0

The historic case for the resurrection of Jesus: 'It's the cornerstone of our faith'

From South Carolina-

Millions of Christians around the world are on this day celebrating a miracle.

They believe that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, died and was buried, and that he came back to life, leaving an empty tomb for his followers to discover on the third day.

Christians also believe that after his Resurrection, Jesus appeared to more than 500 witnesses before ascending to heaven, where he reigns over all creation with God.

Most know the story. It is the linchpin of the Christian faith, which, unlike most other major world religions, either stands or falls based on its claims.

Not everyone believes the Resurrection was a literal, historic event, but there is almost no one who doubts that a man named Jesus lived and died, preaching as he went.  

More here-

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/the-historic-case-for-the-resurrection-of-jesus-it-s/article_9b18acc6-1aee-11e7-97d1-379b6ef94686.html

The Resurrection is No Myth, But It Is Dangerous

From Raven-

The resurrection is often packaged around cute little bunnies and plastic Easter eggs full of candy.

But resurrection isn’t soft and cuddly. Resurrection is dangerous. It is risky. It is not safe.

Resurrection is dangerous because it transforms how we relate to our fellow human beings, specifically to our enemies. And it transforms our understanding of the divine.

Throughout human history we have been caught up in cycles of violence – and we thought the gods were caught up in the same cycles of violence.

For example, the resurrection of Jesus is often compared to myths of resurrected gods throughout the ancient world. One such myth is about an Egyptian god named Horus and his father Osirus. Horus is portrayed as a good god that fought against the forces of evil, namely, an evil god named Set, who killed Horus’s father, a god named Osirus. Fortunately, Horus and his mother were able to resurrect Osirus. But the question remained, what should they to do about Set?

The resurrected Osirus asked Horus a question, “What is the most glorious deed a man can perform?”

Horus answered, “To take revenge upon one who has injured his father or mother.”

https://www.ravenfoundation.org/resurrection-no-myth-dangerous/

The Profound Connection Between Easter and Passover

 From The Wall Street Journal-

Easter stalks Passover. They arrive together every spring, like the daffodils and magnolia blossoms. This year, Easter Sunday falls as the eight-day Jewish festival nears its end. Over the years, I have come to see that Christianity’s most important day recapitulates Passover. Both holidays face head-on the daunting power of death—and both announce God’s greater power of life.

In March, my wife, who is Jewish, was on the phone, herding her parents, uncles, brothers and cousins. “No, it’s not Tuesday. The first night of Passover is on Monday this year.” She made arrangements for the Seder, the festive meal with a traditional liturgy that retells the familiar story of the Exodus. Emails and texts were exchanged to sort out who would bring what, and this past Monday night we sang and recited the age-old prayers and set out a cup for Elijah, the harbinger of the messianic era. We ended, as always, with the declaration: “Next year in Jerusalem!”

More here-

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-profound-connection-between-easter-and-passover-1492173908