1. A Celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Easter
A Celebration of the
Resurrection of
Jesus Christ

2. Easter in North America
Easter, increasingly called “Resurrection Day” by Christians, is their most important holy day.
North American Easter practices and customs include both Christian and
non-Christian elements.
The events of Easter are
historical, that is,
they happened in a
particular time and place,
so they are not just symbolic.
In this presentation, first look at the historical events surrounding the Resurrection.
Then look at non-Christian elements that were added later to the celebration.

3. What is Easter?
An annual celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (His rising from the dead)
A moveable feast (festival, not held on the same date each year) that can come as early as March 22 or as late as April 25
The First Nicene Council
in 325 AD decided to use a
lunar basis to set the date:
the first Sunday after the first full moon
on or after March 21
(the Vernal Equinox = beginning of Spring)

4. Jesus of Nazareth lived for about 33 years (4BC – 30AD) in Israel
The Bible indicates that He was called
“the Christ” (in Greek), meaning
“the Chosen One” or
“the Anointed One.”
This title identified him
as the long-awaited
“Messiah” (in Hebrew).

5. Old Testament Prophecies
Hundreds of predictions revealed aspects of the life of this special Servant of God. He would be:
God’s unique representative on earth.
the leader of God’s people.
the Lamb of God who would
personally take the consequence
of mankind’s evil and
disobedience on Himself.
God’s punishment for evil and
disobedience was death. Jesus willingly
chose to die as a substitute sacrifice for others.
God required a perfect sacrifice. Because Jesus was God in human form, He kept God’s Law perfectly, and thus was the only one able to meet God’s requirement.

6. Holy Week The week before Easter
Palm Sunday – a week before Easter
Jesus entered Jerusalem for the Jewish feast of Passover
the crowd welcomed Him by placing their coats and palm branches on the road and
shouting loud praises of
“Hosanna! Blessed is He
who comes in the
Name of the Lord!”
Monday – Thursday
Jesus preached and taught
in and around the Temple in Jerusalem
Wednesday
The plot against Jesus was formed

7. Holy Week The week before Easter
Maundy (or Holy) Thursday
the night Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His 12 closest followers and mandated the Communion (eating bread and
drinking wine to remember His
broken body and shed blood)
the night He was betrayed
by Judas Iscariot, one of the 12

8. The Crucifixion According to tradition Jesus died on a Friday.
He was executed by crucifixion, the common form of death for criminals in the Roman Empire.
Roman soldiers severely beat and whipped,
then mocked Him.
Then they nailed His hands and feet to a
wooden cross. Two other criminals were
crucified at the same time.
Death usually came after a prolonged and
agonizing time on the cross, even up to
two or three days.
Jesus died after only six hours, not needing for His legs to be broken to hasten His death.
The Bible says that Jesus’ death is sufficient payment as punishment for all mankind’s evil.

9. Good Friday the day Jesus died on a cross
Initially Christians celebrated the Crucifixion and Resurrection as one event,
but in the fourth century they
began to focus on the
Crucifixion separately and it
gradually became known as
“Good Friday.”
It is good because
God kept His promise to remove
the punishment of all people for evil and disobedience, through Christ and His death.

10. Burial
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, friends of Jesus, wrapped His body in a linen cloth and buried it that same afternoon
in an above-ground grave
(a cave) called a tomb.

11. Luke 24:1-8
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away
from the tomb, but when they
entered, they did not find the
body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were wondering
about this, suddenly two men
in clothes that gleamed like lightning
stood beside them.

12. Luke 24:1-8 (continued)
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!
Remember how He told you,
while He was still with you
in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man
must be delivered into the hands
of sinful men, be crucified and
on the third day be raised again.’”
Then they remembered His words.

13. The Resurrection
The Bible indicates that after three days Jesus rose physically and literally from the dead.
Over the next several weeks
He showed Himself to His
followers. His body had the
same physical features,
including scars from the
wounds He received at His
death. He also had physical
capacities, demonstrated when
He ate while with them.
But because of the Resurrection, He also had a “spiritual” body – one that would never die.

14. Good News of Forgiveness
Jesus said that because of His death and Resurrection, people all over the world
could now
be forgiven of their sins
establish a relationship
with God through Him
know that they would see God
and be with Him when they die
(eternal life!)

15. Forgiveness
This message of forgiveness is for anyone who would believe or put their confidence in Jesus Christ. It was good news
then, and remains good news
for people today.
Forgiveness and relationship
with God give Christians their
motivation to spread the message
of Jesus Christ.

16. More Good News
Forty days after His Resurrection, Jesus ascended from the earth and returned to Heaven.
Details of these accounts
can be found in the Bible in
Matthew (chapters 26-28)
Mark (14-16)
Luke (22-24)
John (18-21)
Acts (1:1-11)

17. Origin of the word “Easter”
The word “Easter” is not in the Bible.
“Easter” comes from “Eostre,” the name of a Teutonic (ancient Germanic) fertility goddess, and the festival, called “Eostur,” that celebrated her and the new life of Spring.
When Christians came to Europe,
they replaced this ancient festival
with their Christian celebration
of the Resurrection of Jesus and
kept the name of the old festival.
In some countries, Christians use the same name for Easter as the Jewish holiday, Passover.

18. Easter Symbols
Easter became both a Christian holiday and a more general celebration of Spring.
Many North American Easter symbols
come from Europe and from
the pre-Christian festival.

19. Symbols The Easter Bunny Lily, a large white flower,
Ancient Egypt - rabbit represented new life from birth, and was a symbol of the moon
Lunar calendar, rabbit  Easter symbol
Germany – a woman hid
Easter eggs for her children
during a famine. When the
children found the eggs,
a big rabbit hopped away,
so they thought the rabbit
brought the eggs.
Lily, a large white flower,
symbol of the Resurrection
Flowers of all kinds are used to celebrate Easter and Spring

20. Easter Eggs
From very ancient times eggs have represented the new life that returns during the Spring.
Ancient Persians and Egyptians dyed
their eggs in spring colors and
gave them to friends as gifts.
Christians in Mesopotamia first
adopted this custom of coloring
eggs as part of the Christian
celebration. They changed their
meaning and used them to celebrate
new spiritual life at Easter.
Egg decoration colors and styles differ slightly from country to country.

21. Easter Eggs in the US
Use dye, wax symbols or stickers to color and decorate hard-boiled eggs
Buy or make chocolate
or other candy eggs
Fill hollow plastic eggs with
jelly beans or other sweet treats

22. Easter Customs for Children
Easter Baskets
given to children on Easter Sunday morning filled with decorated eggs, chocolate rabbits, jelly beans or other candy
Some parents say that
the Easter Bunny delivered
them and some parents say
they are giving them

23. Easter Customs for Children
Easter Egg Hunt
Parents hide eggs in the yard or inside in the rooms of the house.
Children are given baskets
and told to find as many
eggs as possible. The one
who finds the most eggs wins.
These egg hunts are sometimes
done in large community groups
or at schools or churches. 

24. Special Food Hot cross buns Pretzels
bread with the mark of a cross on the top.  These also predate Christianity, but Christians in the Middle Ages used them to celebrate the Resurrection.  They were given to the poor, but now everyone enjoys them.
Pretzels
A snack now eaten anytime, but
from the fifth to nineteenth centuries
they were eaten only during the 40-day
fasting time (called Lent) before Easter.
Common legends indicate the folded
pretzel's shape looks like the arm positions taken by monks in prayer and the three holes represent the Trinity (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

25. Easter Clothes
In the early centuries of the church, people often became official members of the church through the ritual of baptism on Easter.
People would wear new white
clothes for their baptism and
a few days following.  Later,
everyone began to wear
new clothes on Easter,
but white was just for those
being baptized.  After the church service,
everyone would go for a walk in their new clothes,
a kind of parade.

26. Easter Clothes
Today, people often wear new clothes for Easter, especially children who have outgrown last Spring's clothes.
In some places it is important
for a girl or woman to have
a new Easter bonnet (hat).
Some people join in a parade
with no religious significance.

27. Movies on the Life of Jesus
Well-known movies are shown on TV or can be rented from video stores during the Easter season:
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth
The Robe
Ben-Hur
The Greatest Story Ever Told
The Passion of the Christ

28. Easter Worship in Church
Because Easter is a special day, most churches have a special church worship service.
usually have a lot of special music
may have guest musicians
churches are often
decorated with lilies
Churches may have an
additional service at sunrise
calling it a “Son-Rise” service.
The Bible names Jesus
the Son of God (Luke 1:35) who would rise from the dead (Acts 17:3), and early in the morning is the time when people first saw the empty tomb of Jesus Christ.

29. Easter Worship in Church
Some churches have pageants during the week. These are dramas in which people act out the story of Holy Week and Easter.
Some people go to church
on Easter (and Christmas)
who don't usually go to church,
so churches are full and
guests are usual.

30. Summary
Next is a brief summary from the book of the Bible called the Acts of the Apostles.
In chapter 10, Peter,
the first major teacher
of the church, talked
to a group of people
who were not Jewish and
who wanted to know more
about the event that Christians
now celebrate as Easter.

31. Acts 10
Then Peter said, “Now I understand that God doesn't play favorites.  Rather, whoever respects God and does what is right is acceptable to Him
in any nation.  God sent
His word to the people of
Israel and brought them
the Good News of peace
through Jesus Christ.
This Jesus Christ
is everyone's Lord.

32. Acts 10, continued
“You know what happened throughout Judea. Everything began in Galilee after John spread the news about baptism.  You know that God
anointed Jesus from Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and with
power. Jesus went everywhere
and did good things, such as
healing everyone who was
under the devil's power.
Jesus did these things because God was with Him.  We can testify to everything Jesus did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem.

33. Acts 10, continued
“People hung Him on a cross and killed Him, but God brought Him back to life on the third day. God didn't show Him to all the people. He showed Jesus to witnesses, apostles He had chosen.
We apostles are those men
who ate and drank with Jesus
after He came back to life. He
ordered us to warn the people,
‘God has appointed Jesus to judge the living and the dead.’  In addition, all the prophets testify that people who believe in the one named Jesus receive forgiveness for their sins through Him.”

34. Hope The Bible says “He has risen!” The Resurrection of Jesus
is the center of the
Christian message.
That if Jesus is still dead
and buried, His followers
have no hope,
nothing to believe.

35. More Hope
Since no one has ever found Jesus’ body, the Resurrection is proof for His followers that the God of the Bible is true and real.
Easter is the yearly celebration
of all that Jesus’ followers
hope for and believe.