The final week of Lent is called Holy Week. Beginning with Palm Sunday to mark Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, it includes Maundy Thursday remembering Jesus’ last supper with his disciples and Good Friday, which marks His betrayal and death.

 Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus’ resurrection and tells the story of His followers visiting the tomb only to find that He is not there. We raise the cry Hallelujah! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Hallelujah! A new Pascal candle or Christ candle is lit as a reminder of Christ’ continuing presence among us. White and gold symbolize this eternal life. The Easter Season is a time of joy as we celebrate new life, purity and holiness. We are transformed for sacred friendship with Christ and one another in community. Week by week in worship we hear how the risen Christ came to his followers to help them understand how God was making things new and to help them see the Holy in new ways. The Easter season runs from April 24 (Easter Sunday) to June 5.

 Many people wonder why the date of Easter can change so much. The Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) set the date of  Easter as the Sunday following the paschal full moon, which is the full moon that falls on or after the vernal (spring) equinox. Easter always occur son a Sunday, because Sunday was the day of Christ’s Resurrection. But why the paschal full moon? Because that was the date of Passover in the Jewish calendar, and the Last Supper occurred on the Passover. Therefore, Easter was the Sunday after Passover.

 Churches does not use the exact date of the paschal full moon but an approximation, because the paschal full moon can fall on different days in different time zones, which would mean that the date of Easter would be different depending on which time zone you live in. For calculation purposes, the full moon is always set at the 14th day of the lunar month (the lunar month begins with the new moon).