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Steps to the Cross

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  Easter is the most revered season of the year for Christians. Yes, even more than the birth of Christ from woman, the death of Christ and His resurrection is praised and celebrated for the forgiveness of our sins and the everlasting assurance of life everlasting for those who believe and give themselves to God.

   Each day of Holy Week, beginning on Palm Sunday and concluding on Easter Sunrise, is a journey of the Spirit, Heart and Soul .  Make no mistake, Jesus Christ knew long before the first lash ripped open the flesh on his unclothed back that His fate, His destiny and His eternal life would end and begin with His crucifixion on the cross. This was the sacrifice for the sins of the world and a sacrifice that Jesus accepted for love of His Father

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Maundy Thursday
   Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. In many other countries this day is known as Holy Thursday.  Christians remember it as the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist.

   The night of Maundy Thursday is the night on which Jesus was betrayed by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane.

   The word ‘maundy’ comes from the command given by Christ at the Last Supper, that we should love one another.

 

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Good Friday
     Good Friday commemorates Jesus' crucifixion.
The most important events in Christianity are the death and later resurrection of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God, and whose life and teachings are the foundation of Christianity.

   Good Friday is the Friday before Easter. It commemorates the execution of Jesus by crucifixion.

   Good Friday is a day of mourning in church. During special Good Friday services Christians meditate on Jesus' suffering and death on the cross, and what this means for their faith.

   In some countries, there are special Good Friday processions, or re-enactments of the Crucifixion.

   The main service on Good Friday takes place between midday and 3pm. In many churches it takes the form of a meditation based on The Stations of the Cross, Christ’s journey to the cross and His death. In other churches the meditation is based on the seven last words of Jesus on the cross, with hymns, prayers, and short sermons.

 

The Last Words from the Cross

   The Bible quotes seven last sentences that Jesus spoke from the Cross.

  ‘F
ather, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’ Luke 23:34

  ’Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’ Luke 23:43

  ’Woman, here is your son... Here is your mother’
John 19:26

   ’Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ (My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?) Mark 15:34
 
  ’I am thirsty:’ John 19:28

  It is finished.’ John 19:30

  ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’
Luke 23:46

 

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Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday is the Saturday after Good Friday which is often, but wrongly, called Easter Saturday.

   The Easter vigil service is the first Easter service, and takes place on the night of Holy Saturday.

The service is a time of meditating for faithful Christians to wait and watch, hopeful and confident that Christ will return at midnight.
 

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Easter Sunday
Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is the most important Christian festival, and the one celebrated with the greatest joy.

   The Easter story is at the heart of Christianity. On Good Friday, Jesus Christ was executed by crucifixion. His body was taken down from the cross, and buried in a cave.

   The tomb was guarded and an enormous stone was put over the entrance, so that no-one could steal the body.

   On the following Sunday, some women visited the grave and found that the stone had been moved, and that the tomb was empty.

   Jesus himself was seen that day, and for days afterwards by many people. His followers realised that God had raised Jesus from the dead.

 

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