Living Worship Series: BELIEVING
Easter Sunday — April 21, 2019

Calendar Notes

 

April

April 14         Palm/Passion Sunday
April 14-20   Holy Week
April 18         Maundy Thursday
April 19         Good Friday
April 20         Holy Saturday
April 21         Easter Sunday
April 24         Festival of God’s Creation
April 25         World Malaria Day (UM Communications)

May
All Month      Christian Home Month
                      Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
May 6-12       Christian Family Week
May 12          Festival of the Christian Home/Mother’s Day (USA)
May 18-19     Change the World Weekend
May 19          Heritage Sunday
May 24          Aldersgate Day
May 27          Memorial Day (USA)
May 30          Ascension of the Lord

June

June 2           Ascension of the Lord Sunday
June 9           Pentecost
June 16         Trinity Sunday
June 16         Peace with Justice Sunday
June 16         Father’s Day
June 19         Juneteenth

Planning for this Series

Some pastors prefer to do Lent as a full series and start anew on Easter Sunday. The “Living” series allows for an Easter Sunday start and runs for four weeks. It is followed by the four-week “Loving” series. Both series focus on living as Christians.

Historically, Lent was used as a season of preparation and discipleship for interested Christians, and they would be baptized at the Easter vigil service. The season after Easter, then, was focused on teaching Christian doctrine. Our “Living” and “Loving” series come out of this historical understanding of the Easter season. They both follow the gospel texts in John, where Jesus is trying to teach the disciples how to live as his followers. You can ask the same questions in your worship: “What does it mean to live as a follower of Christ? What does it mean to believe in Jesus?”

In planning for Easter Sunday morning, despite it being the third Sunday of the month and having special programmed music, honoring the Risen Lord cries out for the celebration of Holy Communion. As Taylor Burton-Edwards wrote, “No musical extravaganza and no sermon can possibly take the place or should displace the fullest celebration of the living presence of our Risen Lord in body and blood.”

If you are finishing the Lent series “With All Your Heart” through Easter Sunday, go ahead and jump into the “Living” series on April 28. A three-week “Living” series will work just as well.