Holy Saturday

We just learned about Good Friday on the Church Calendar.

The next day is Holy Saturday.

On this day people remember when Jesus Christ body was laid in his tomb after he was crucified on Good Friday.


(from: wikipedia - holy saturday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Tomb - Angels

Good Friday

We just learned about Maundy Thursday.

The next special day of Holy Week is Good Friday.

This is the day for remembering when Christ died on the cross.

Some churches will have prayers to remember each part of Jesus' walk to the cross.
Other countries have parades with large crosses and floats to remember what happened.


(from: wikipedia - good friday)

In some places they make hot cross buns, which have frosting of a cross on the top to remember the cross, and spices inside to remember the spices used when Jesus was buried.


(from: wikipedia - hot cross buns)

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Empty Tomb

Maundy Thursday

We just learned about Palm Sunday.

The next day in the church calendar is Maundy Thursday.

This day is to remember the Last Supper, when Christ sat with his disciples for the last time, washed their feet and then ate together.

Some churches remember the day by having foot washing ceremonies where everyone washes each other's feet.


(from: wikipedia - maundy thursday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Burial

Palm Sunday

We just learned about Holy Week.

Another day in the church calendar is Palm Sunday.

On this day, churches celebrate the day that Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey and people waved palm branches and laid them at his feet.

The colors at the church are usually red for Palm Sunday.
Some churches hand out palm branches for people to hold while singing hymns.
These palms are then taken home to put above a cross or picture of Christ.
Some churches keep those palm branches until the next year's Ash Wednesday when they burn them and use the ashes.


(from: wikipedia - palm sunday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Crucifixion - It is finished

Holy Week

We've learned that the Lent season begins with Fat Tuesday and then Ash Wednesday, and then goes on for several weeks.

The last week of Lent is called Holy Week, as it gets close to the Easter holiday.


(from: wikipedia - holy week)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Crucificion - Why have you forsaken me?

Ash Wednesday

We just learned about how on Fat Tuesday many people would have large feasts right before the season of Lent.

The first day of lent is Ash Wednesday.

For 40 days after this day, not including Sundays, people would not eat meat or even some types of fatty bread.
At church service for Ash Wednesday, some people would take old palm branches that had been saved from last year's celebration of Palm Sunday.
They would burn those palm branches and use the ashes.

Some churches sprinkle ashes above people's heads, and others would make a mark of a cross on their foreheads.

When the priest or pastor would put ashes on your head, they would say:

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.
or
Repent, and believe in the Gospel.



(from: wikipedia - ash wednesday)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Crucifixion - Here is your son

Fat Tuesday

We just learned about the season of Lent.

The Lenten season begins on a Wednesday, and the day right before that is sometimes called Fat Tuesday.

It's called that because during lent many people give up eating some types of meat or food with lots of fat in it as a way to remember Jesus living in the desert for 40 days.

So on Fat Tuesday people eat big meals and foods with lots of fat since it's the last chance they will have to eat that food, and some of the food might go bad before lent is over.

One celebration is called Paczki Day which comes from Poland, where people would make big donuts filled with jelly to use up the last of the dough before lent.


(from: wikipedia - pączki)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Crucifixion - Father forgive them

Lent

We just learned about the different weeks of Epiphany.

The church calendar season after that is called Lent.

The Lent season is the season leading up to Easter, and there are many different special days on the calendar.

The Lenten season is 40 days long, to help remember the time Jesus went into the desert to fast and was tempted.

Usually the decorations in the church are colored purple for this season.


(from: wikipedia - temptation of christ)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Crucifixion - With Criminals

Epiphany - Transfiguration

We just learned about the time in Epiphany celebrating the baptism of Jesus.

The last part of the Epiphany season is Transfiguration.

This is the time that churches remember when Jesus went up on a mountain with his apostles, and a bright light came on him. Moses and Elijah appeared by him, and God told them that Jesus was his son.

Matthew 17:

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”


(from: wikipedia - feast of the transfiguration)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Crucifixion - Nailed to the cross

Epiphany - Baptism of Our Lord

We just learned about the church season of Epiphany, celebrating the wise men coming to meet Jesus.

The next part of Epiphany is sometimes used to remember when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.


(from: wikipedia - al-maghtas)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Crucifixion - Calvary

Epiphany

We just learned about the 3 weeks of the Christmas season on the church calendar.

The third week of that season is known as Epiphany meaning Appearance, or Vision of God.

This is the week churches celebrate things like the wise men coming to visit Jesus in the manger.
Some people during this season make a cake called a king cake, which is a round cake that has a small doll of baby Jesus inside.
People each take a piece of cake, and whoever finds the small doll has to make the cake next year.

This was a way to remember the kings and wise men coming to find the baby Jesus.


(from: wikipedia - king cake)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus - Carrying his cross

Christmas Season

We just learned about the 4 weeks in the church season of Advent.

The next part of the calendar is Christmas time.
There are three weeks in this season, the week of Christmas, the first Sunday after Christmas and the second Sunday after Christmas.
Churches usually use the color white for this season, and there are lots of Christmas celebrations!


(from: wikipedia - christmas)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Trial - Crown of Thorns

Advent Season

Let's keep learning about the Church Calendar.

The first season in the church calendar is called Advent.
It is the 4 weeks that come before Christmas.

Some churches use the color purple for that season, and others use the color blue.

Some Advent traditions are:
An Advent Wreath, which is a green wreath with 4 candles on it. One candle is lit each Sunday until Christmas.
In some countries long ago they used to have wreaths with 24 candles, lighting a big one on Sundays and 6 small ones the other days of the week.


(from: wikipedia - advent wreath)


In Italy they celebrate Advent by having people play bagpipes before shrines of Mary the mother of Jesus, to remember the shepherds that came to the manger to visit Jesus.

Advent Calendars for each day of Advent, and a door is opened each day of the calendar.


(from: wikipedia - advent calendar)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus' Trial - Pontius Pilate

Church Calendar

We just learned about the Book of Acts in the bible.

Let's learn about the calendar for the church.

There are a few different church calendars out there, and they are used to try and organize celebrations, colors, times of worship and even subjects to talk about between churches all across the world.

These calendars are called Liturgical calendars.

(from: wikipedia - liturgical calendar (lutheran))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Jesus Trial Sanhedrin

Acts

We just learned about the last book of the bible called Revelation.

Let's learn about the book of Acts.

Right after the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John comes the book of Acts.

This book talks about many of the things that happened right after Jesus was crucified, like the Holy Spirit coming down on the Apostles, and when the Apostle Paul was brought to be a believer in Jesus.


(from: wikipedia - acts of the apostles)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Arrest of Jesus - Sword

Revelation

We just learned about the book of Jude.

The very last book of the bible is Revelation.

This book talks about the future, about Jesus coming again some day at the end of time.

There are a lot of things in this book like dragons, horsemen and beasts that all bring about the final days of the world.


(from: wikipedia - book of revelation)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Arrest of Jesus - Judas' Kiss

Jude

We just learned about the book of Third John.

The next book in the bible is Jude.

This book is only one chapter long, and Jude is warning people to listen to God's word because he will come again some day.

(from: wikipedia - jude the apostle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Arrest of Jesus - Jesus' Prayer

Third John

We just learned about the book of Second John.

John wrote one last letter that we call Third John.

He wrote to his friend to tell him that he was coming to visit, and that he was coming to help their friends and work against some people who were doing bad things to the church.

A well known part of third John is:

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.


(from: wikipedia - john the evangelist)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Last Supper - Communion

Second John

We just learned about the book of First John.

John wrote another letter that is called Second John.
He writes to the church to tell them to keep believing in the teachings of Jesus.

(from: wikipedia - second epistle of john)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Last Supper - Judas Betrayal

First John

We just learned about the book of Second Peter.

The next book of the bible is the book of First John which was a letter that John wrote to tell people that God is perfect and that we should try to live our lives in love.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

(from: wikipedia - john the evangelist)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: The Last Supper