The Resurrection of Our Lord/Easter Monday
The Lord be with you
The Easter season is a fifty-day-long season of joy extending from Easter to Pentecost. This time is sometimes called “the Great Fifty Days.” During this time, the Church celebrates the end of Christ’s struggles and proclaims His victory over death and the reception o
f the benefits of His life, death and resurrection as gracious gifts of love and mercy for all those who believe in Him. This, then, is the Church’s great season of joy!
Over the centuries many places where the Church has spread continue the Easter Day celebration throughout the week following Easter. Special liturgies were celebrated and special activities were engaged in. Some places had Easter Egg rolls. In some places siblings and/or spouses wake each other up by pouring buckets of water on each other. Some places have dancing. The day after Easter Sunday marked the beginning of these festivities. The Monday has different names in different times and regions. The ones I found are: Bright Monday, Renewal Monday, Wet Monday and Dyngus Day. Our current liturgical calendar recognizes Easter Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
As the Jewish new day began at sunset, the appearance of Jesus behind locked doors to his disciples Easter evening (John 20:19-23) is actually an Easter Monday event.
As I have mentioned elsewhere, the liturgical day follows the same system as the first century Jewish day (sundown to sundown). That means that the readings for Easter Monday would be the readings if we had an Easter evening service. Those readings are: Exodus 15:1-18 or Daniel 12:1c-3, Acts 10 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 and Luke 24:13-35 [36-49].
Prayer: O God, in the paschal feast You restore all creation. Continue to send Your heavenly gifts upon Your people that they may walk in perfect freedom and receive eternal life; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
He is Risen!
Pastor John Rickert