COTA KIDS + FAMILIES

OUR CURRENT LITURGICAL SEASON: EASTERTIDE

Did you know that Easter isn’t just a day? In church, we celebrate Easter for an entire season! The season of Eastertide begins with Easter Sunday when we remember the resurrection of Jesus, but our celebrations don’t end there. For seven weeks we celebrate the new life that Jesus brings. We remember his last days on earth, mark his ascension into heaven, and end the season on the feast of Pentecost when we remember God’s gift of the Holy Spirit.

IMPORTANT DATES

Ascension Day: Thursday, May 9, 2023
40 days after Easter, marking Jesus' ascension into heaven

Pentecost: Sunday, May 19, 2023
50 days after Easter and the final day of Eastertide, celebrating the gift of the Holy Spirit

LITURGICAL COLOR

During Eastertide, we decorate the church with white and gold because they are the colors of celebration. Look around. Where do you see white or gold?

THEMES

During Eastertide, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for our lives and for the entire world. To “resurrect” is to bring something back to life. People who didn’t like Jesus and what he was doing and saying sought to silence his message by putting him to death, but after Jesus died, God brought him back to life. The resurrection of Jesus shows us that the love of God that Jesus preached is more powerful than hatred. Even though hatred still exists, the love and light of God can be seen throughout the world today. We celebrate Easter during springtime because the season of spring is a great reminder of the joy and renewal that Jesus brings. As the days grow longer and flowers begin to bloom, the world around us reminds us of the promise of new life that the love and light of Jesus bring.

PRACTICES

Did you know that Christians worship together on Sunday because that’s the day that Jesus rose from the dead? That means each Sunday we are celebrating the gift of new life on Easter, whether it’s Eastertide or not! But you don’t have to limit your Easter celebrations to Sundays. You can carry on the joyful spirit of Easter by doing activities that bring you joy each day and passing that joy on to others through acts of kindness and generosity. When you do kind things for others, you give them the gift of hope just like Jesus gives us hope. See if you can find something joyful, kind, or life-giving to do every day during the 50 days of Eastertide.

EASTERTIDE RESOURCES