ABOVE: WHY DO SOME CHRISTIANS CELEBRATE EASTER WITH

EGGS ? WHY DO OTHER CHRISTIANS OBJECT TO THE USE OF EGGS

AS AN EASTER SYMBOL ? FIND OUT BELOW

4/27/08
IT’S EASTER, IT’S EASTER !
AGAIN !
IT’S EASTER AGAIN! ORTHODOX EASTER 4/27/08

DID you know that TODAY IS EASTER ?! YES,

again. Not for mainline Protestant or Catholic

churches, but for the EASTERN ORTHODOX

church this is EASTER !

“Easter is not only a movable holiday but a

multiple one: in most years Western Christian
 churches and Eastern Orthodox churches
celebrate Easter on different dates. In 2008, for
example, Easter is celebrated on March 23 by
Western churches and April 27 by Orthodox
churches. But in 2007, the two celebrations
occurred on the same date, April 8.”
The churches base the dates on different
calendars: Western churches use the Gregorian
calendar, the standard calendar for much of
the world, and Orthodox churches use the
older, Julian calendar.
SEE http://www.factmonster.com/spot/easter1.html

SO those of you (or us) who go by the

GREGORIAN CALENDAR celebrated EASTER

several weeks ago, and the EASTER SEASON is

coming to an end, but for the EASTERN

ORTHODOX who use the JULIAN

CALENDAR EASTER IS TODAY and the

EASTER SEASON will span another month or so.

In fact, I wanted to attend an ORTHODOX

EASTER SERVICE, in my continuing quest to

BRIDGE THE GAP between the different FAITH

TRADITIONS but I REALIZED too late that they

celebrate EASTER at MIDNIGHT (or at least the

one I went to was not open at 8 a.m. ) and looking

online it apparently is the custom of the orthodox,

in general, to celebrate EASTER at midnight—or

the “early possible moment” as they say.

I’ve been visiting different churches of different

traditions over the course of the past few years,

including some of the ORTHODOX

CHURCHES, including COPTIC around

Southern California.
And the ORTHODOX worship differently than

many of the WESTERN churches, --at least that

has been my PERSONAL OBSERVATION based

on the COPTIC CHURCHES I’ve visted this year.

You ALSO KNOW (or should know) that the

JEWISH just celebrated PASSOVER last week,

and the EASTERN CHURCH always makes sure

that their EASTER CELEBRATION comes

AFTER PASSOVER, never before (so they say).

 “The Eastern Orthodox Church also applies
the formula so that Easter always falls after
Passover, since the Crucifixion and
Resurrection of Christ took place after he
entered Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. In the
Western Church, Easter sometimes precedes
Passover by weeks”.
There have been proposals, including the 2nd

VATICAN COUNSEL in 1963, to have a FIXED

EASTER DATE common to both the EASTERN

& WESTERN CHURCHES but so far it has not

been acted upon see

http://www.factmonster.com/spot/easter1.html

In fact, the ORTHODOX usually refer to

“EASTER” as PASCHA.
Pascha (Greek: Πάσχα), also called Easter, is
the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord.
Pascha is a transliteration of the Greek word,
which is itself a transliteration of the Hebrew
pesach, both words meaning Passover. (A
minority of English-speaking Orthodox prefer
 the English word 'Pasch.')
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Pascha

ABOVE: A RANDOM PICTURE FROM GOOGLE SHOWS A TYPICAL ORTHODOX

SERVICE USING LOTS OF CANDLES & INCENSE AND APPEALS TO THE
SENSES ALONG WITH PRAYER, SONGS, & OTHER FORMS OF
TRADITIONAL WORSHIP

Some Orthodox Christians discourage the use

of the word Easter, believing that the term has
roots in pagan rites of the spring equinox and
overtones of fertility.
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Pascha

Here’s MORE ABOUT what they say concerning

PASCHA and COMMUNION in the ORTHODOX
CHURCH :
 “The Liturgy of St John Chrysostom continues
as usual. Holy communion has, again and
again, the troparion of the Resurrection. It is
sung while the faithful partake. To Orthodox
Christians, receiving communion on Easter
Sunday is very important. Many parishes take
the Paschal Sermon of St. John Chrysostom
literally and commune all Orthodox Christians
who are in attendance.
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Pascha
It SHOULD BE NOTED that the “ORTHODOX

CHRISTIAN’ think of themselves as DISTINCT

from CHRISTIANS in general, including

PROTESTANTS & CATHOLICS.

In fact, at one of the COPTIC churches that I

visited, in BELLFLOWER of all places—although

“VISITORS’ are welcome to attend the service, if

you plan to partake in HOLY COMMUNION

they expect you to be “ORTHODOX” not just

Christian.

It was at this COPTIC church in Bellflower

THAT they began the communion ceremony and I

was preparing to follow the PROCESSION up to

the front where the PRIEST gives the bread &

wine (BODY & BLOOD) but as I was about to do

so the fellow next to me said, “YOU MUST TAKE

YOUR SHOES OFF” and then he asked “ARE

YOU ORTHODOX?” and I said “NO”.

He said, “YOU must be ORTHODOX’ to

participate in communion”, THEN he added,

“BUT ASK THE PRIEST” and pointed to the

front. By that time I was already a little

embarrassed having been “OUTED” so to speak –

with others around overhearing our short

conversation—while I thought I had been

BLENDING IN so well.

Anyways, I went up to the front—following the

procession, being very RESPECTFUL and

REVERENT of their traditions and the PRIEST

said to me, “Are you Orthodox” and I said “NO,

JUST CHRISTIAN” and he responded, politely,

but firmly, “You cannot take communion, but

TALK TO ME after the service.”

I went back to my seat and decided to leave—not

because I felt so uncomfortable but I was, and

continue to be, on a TOUR OF CHURCHES,

going from one to another around southern

California, and sometimes only staying for half a

service or less.

The WEEK AFTER EASTER in the

ORTHODOX CHURCH is referred to as

“BRIGHT WEEK” (SEE

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Bright_Week )

CONCERNING the ORTHODOX WORSHIP

STYLE in general---it is SOMEWHAT different

than that of the western PROTESTANT OR

CATHOLIC church in that they place a HIGH

EMPHASIS on visual beauty (icons and stain

glassed pictures are EVERYWHERE in most

COPTIC churches, maybe Armenian too), along

with the use of other SENSUAL (that which

captures the physical senses) objects, including

INCENSE, and the LITURGY IS SUNG OR

CHANTED, not just recited. IN FACT, the

PRIEST or other readers (sometimes children as

well) will SING every word.

Also, the CONGREGATION often STANDS

through MOST if not all of the WORSHIP

SERVICE (see http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/Worship )

It has been my PERSONAL OBSERVATION as

well—that STANDING UP is the NORM in many

ORTHODOX or COPTIC services (much more

the norm than sitting).

Finally, the COPTIC churches that I’ve visited, in

general, have been very VISUALLY

CAPTIVATING from the outside. They tend to

place a high emphasis on external beauty as

opposed to, for example, a MENNONITE church

that is just the opposite in terms of visual beauty

and appeal to the senses.

And so, TODAY IS EASTER, again, and I hope to

visit an ORTHODOX CHURCH or two, and will

tell you about my experience in weeks to come.

PRAYER: Dear GOD, thank YOU for

YOUR presence in our lives, both
eastern & western Christians.
HAPPY EASTER ! AGAIN !

The LORD has RISEN, AGAIN !

VANDER KOK

That’s “SIR” to YOU !

ABOVE: AN ORTHODOX IMAGE OF CHRIST

AND THE RESURRECTION