Viewing all items in Resource Category: Holy Days

At the Last Supper Jesus shocked His disciples by washing their feet. He did this as an example, to demonstrate to them that they should serve others with humility. Over the centuries, some churches have recreated this act of humility at a special service on Maundy Thursday.

Maundy Thursday is the 5th day of Holy Week. ‘Maundy’ comes from the Latin word for command, ‘mandare’.  On this day the Church looks back to Jesus’ command to His disciples that they should: “Love one another as I have loved you.” On the evening of Maundy Thursday Jesus shared the Last Supper with His...

Every year the Queen distributes silver coins at a special service on Maundy Thursday. It is part of a tradition dating back many centuries, where the Royal Family took part in ceremonies washing the feet of poor people and giving gifts. The Royal Maundy Service itself began in 1662, when Charles II gave out coins. The...

Good Friday is the day on which Jesus died on the cross. He was crucified at 9 a.m. in the morning, and died six hours later, at 3pm. It is the most solemn day in the Christian year, and is widely marked by the removal of all decorations from churches. In Lutheran churches, the day...

Luke’s account of the crucifixion (Luke 23:32-43) emphasises the mocking of the crowd, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself’ (35,37,39). In their view a Messiah does not hang on a cross and suffer. In considering the two men who were crucified with Jesus, we are also confronted with the issue of...

Easter is the most joyful day of the year for Christians. Christ has died for our sins. We are forgiven. Christ has risen!  We are redeemed! We can look forward to an eternity in His joy! Hallelujah! The Good News of Jesus Christ is a message so simple that you can explain it to someone...

As the traditional Easter story is rehearsed again this month, you may notice that there is one name that frequently occurs. It is that of the ‘other’ Mary – not the mother of Jesus, but Mary of Magdalene, who stood by her at the cross and became the first person actually to meet the risen...

The following list of witnesses may help you put all those references in order…. Mary Magdalene                                Mark 16:9-11; John 20:10-18 Other women at the tomb                Matthew 28:8-10 Peter in Jerusalem                             Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5 The two travellers on the road        Mark 16:12,13 10 disciples behind closed doors     Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25 11...

How do you make sense of the Resurrection? Dead men don’t rise, so why believe that this particular dead man did rise? At the end of St Luke’s gospel we read that: “they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement” (Luke 24.4). This is highly significant. The Gospels do not show us a...

Alphege is the saint for anyone who refuses to let others suffer on their behalf. His is a tale of courage and self-sacrifice, with some details that are still poignant, even down 1000 years of history. Alphege began like many other leading churchmen of his time; born of a noble family, with a good education,...

– the man who proved there is a God Anselm is a good saint to remember next time someone asks you to prove that there is a God. His brilliant and original Proslogion, written 1077-8, sets out the ‘ontological’ proof for God’s existence. Nearly ten centuries later, it is still studied by theological students as...

– disciple, apostle, writer of the second gospel  Mark, whose home in Jerusalem became a place of rest for Jesus and His 12 apostles, is considered the traditional author of the second gospel. He is also usually identified as the young man, described in Mark 14:51, who followed Christ after his arrest and then escaped...