Reply
jscrossroads says:
March 10, 2011 at 1:50 pm (Edit)
The question: “Why is Easter celebrated on a different date each year?”

The answer:

This is a great question, considering we are only a few weeks away from celebrating Easter 2011. This year, Easter is being celebrated on April 24th. Did you know that the absolute latest date Easter can be celebrated is April 25th? That means this years celebration of Easter will be one of the latest in the calendar year. Is that confusing? Well, the explanation for why Easter is celebrated on a different date each year is even more confusing.

The short answer is this; Easter is usually always the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox.

That seems simple enough doesn’t it? Well, like everything else in life, what should be simple gets really complicated by time and culture. I’m not going to attempt to give a complete answer to this question. But, I will say that Easter is celebrated on different days of the year depending on where you live, what religion you are and what calendar you keep.

To get a complete answer, visit this web site:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2004/apr9a.html

So, if you live in the United States of America and you are of the Protestant faith and the last time you checked it was the year 2011, then Easter will always fall on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the Spring Equinox.

Hope this helps.

Pastor John

Reply

The answer:

This is a great question, considering we are only a few weeks away from celebrating Easter 2011. This year, Easter is being celebrated on April 24th. Did you know that the absolute latest date Easter can be celebrated is April 25th? That means this years celebration of Easter will be one of the latest in the calendar year. Is that confusing? Well, the explanation for why Easter is celebrated on a different date each year is even more confusing.

The short answer is this; Easter is usually always the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox.

That seems simple enough doesn’t it? Well, like everything else in life, what should be simple gets really complicated by time and culture. I’m not going to attempt to give a complete answer to this question. But, I will say that Easter is celebrated on different days of the year depending on where you live, what religion you are and what calendar you keep.

To get a complete answer, visit this web site:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2004/apr9a.html

So, if you live in the United States of America and you are of the Protestant faith and the last time you checked it was the year 2011, then Easter will always fall on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the Spring Equinox.

Hope this helps.

Pastor John

The question is:

“I love my church and the people in my church, but I can’t connect to the preaching of the pastor. I have trouble getting through his sermons. Some of his sermons, I don’t get. The last one seemed like it stepped on a lot of toes. My husband was very offended and wanted to get up and leave. My dilemma, do we stay at this church with great people and deal with the pastor, or find another church with a pastor we can relate too?”

Answer:

I’ve been in full-time ministry now over ten years. Over that time frame I’ve had this same question posed to me on many occasions. So, here is my answer to your question.

1. Never underestimate the spiritual significance of being in a church where you are fed the Word of God. God told Ezekiel in Ezekiel 34:5 “So they (the sheep) were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.” Here, God says that when the shepherd (the preaching pastor of your church) does not speak the words of God in a way that the sheep (members of the church) can understand and apply it to their lives, the end result is a life filled with demonic harassment. In the Bible, wild animals are always symbolic of demonic activity. So when Ezekiel says that the sheep became food for all the wild animals because the shepherd failed to deliver the Word of God, it means they were putting themselves in a place of spiritual vulnerability.

2. Be careful that you discern the difference between being offended by the delivery of the message and being offended by the message being delivered. Biblical teachings can be offensive. Jesus had a mass desertion of so called disciples because He was teaching them some deep things that they were not willing to hear. John 6:60-61 says, “On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?” Paul told Timothy that he would be a good pastor if he told the people what they needed to hear instead of what they wanted to hear. Ask God for His wisdom on this.

3. Don’t ever stay in a church just because of the personal friendships you have there. Remember, there will be a day when we will stand before God and give an account for our lives on earth. On that day, your friends will not be standing with you; just you and God. Having friendships and relationships in church are important, but not the most important thing. The most important relationship you should value is your relationship with Jesus Christ!

In conclusion, God wants you to be in a church where the preaching pastor is preaching God’s Word in digestible portions. God wants you to be in a church where you are growing and serving. Remember, we only have one life to live, so we have to make it count.