A Look at Easter
By Mike Riley
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On this Sunday, millions of people around the world will celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the dead, by observing the holiday called “Easter.”
The word “Easter” comes from “Eastre,” the Anglo-Saxon name of “Ostara,” the pagan Teutonic goddess of Spring and fertility (see this article too). As the rabbit was sacred to this goddess, it appears there was a custom among ancient Egyptians and Romans to give eggs as presents at this time of the year. This practice was carried out to ensure that the recipient would have a fertile and productive year.
Many of the customs associated with Easter illustrate this and other pagan connections. The yearly observance soon included Palm Sunday, Ash Wednesday, and Lent. Assimilation of this pagan practice into “Christian” observances became quite common. The egg was simply borrowed as a symbol of the Christian holiday. Some were dyed red to represent Christ’s shed blood.
The word “Easter,” is found only once in the King James Bible in Acts 12:4 KJV, and is a mistranslation. The Greek word translated Easter is “pascha,” and is correctly rendered “passover” in later translations (cf. Acts 12:4 ESV; Acts 12:4; Acts 12:4 NASB). It is obvious that the King James translators used this term in a passage where the context clearly shows that a Christian holiday is not being discussed at all, but the killing of James, the brother of John by Herod (Acts 12:1-2).
The practice of a yearly observance of Easter began early in the form of a so-called “Christian” Passover. Many Jews continued to keep their Jewish customs and religious holidays after their conversion to Christ. Even Paul was not averse to observing Jewish customs when expedient (Acts 18:18-21), but his teaching indicates they were to be kept on an individual basis (Romans 14:5-6) and should not be bound on others (Gal. 2:3-5).
Paul condemns observing certain days set aside by man in a religious sense (Gal. 4:8-11), and yet, shortly after the death of the apostles, some of the Jewish festivals began to be observed as Christian festivals. Easter was officially recognized by a church sliding into apostasy in A.D. 325 at the Council of Nicea.
The Bible is silent regarding any “yearly” observance of Christ’s resurrection, and thus “Easter” is based upon human tradition — not God’s Word (Mark 7:1-13). Traditions of men are wrong when (1) they become matters of doctrine (Mark 7:6-8); (2) when a practice is bound upon all (Matthew 23:3-4), or (3) when they displace the commands of God by the keeping of the tradition (Mark 7:9-13).
Our Lord instituted His Supper as the proper memorial to commemorate His death (Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-36. Both biblical and historical evidence indicate that this was a weekly observance (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2) — not a yearly one.
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Elders
Leon Cort
Mark Craigwell
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Minister
Mark Craigwell
Assistant Minister
Denver Simmons
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Deacons
Raleigh Gallington
Anthony Johnson
Gregory Johnson
Carlfred Malcolm
Albert Martin, Jr.
Walter Maxwell
Richard Meuse
Barry Person
Jason Reid
James Wade, Sr.
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Sermon for Sunday, April 9, 2023
It's the Word of God
2 Peter 1:19-21
Speaker: Mark A. Craigwell
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DON'T FORGET YOUR MASK!
Remember that masks are required at all of our in-person events, including services, classes, and meetings. Please also remember to bring your mask with you. We have a limited supply of masks available for those who do not have them.
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Don't Miss Out! Please scroll through the entire e-bulletin each week to be certain not to miss any important announcements or links. Many items are repeated each week, but there are also new announcements that you'll miss if you don't scroll through the entire bulletin.
Boston Comics in Color Festival: Saturday, April 29th. See Youth & Family Ministry below or Sis. Vyniece Morrison for details. FREE.
Archeology Pop-Up Labs: Thursday, April 20th 10am - 12 noon @ Dillaway-Thomas House. See Youth & Family Ministry below for details. FREE.
Bedford Street CoC Couples’ Seminar: “Making Marriages Marvelous, Part 2.” Friday, May 26th through Saturday, May 27th. Registration, $60 per couple. Registration deadline, May 7th. See Upcoming Events below for details.
Fall River Ladies' Day: Saturday, May 13th. See announcement under Women's Ministry below for details and RSVP link. Space in Limited.
Fishing Trip: Saturday, April 22nd, Seabrook, New Hampshire. See details below under Upcoming Events.
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An email with a draft church directory went out to all members for whom we have email addresses. Please review the draft ASAP and notify Sis. Nagarajah by return email of any updates or corrections. If your information is correct, please respond via return email to let Sis. Nagarajah know that as well. If you did not receive the email with the draft directory from Sis. Nagarajah, please email her at enagarajah@gmail.com so she can send it to you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. |
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Please subscribe or resubscribe to TextAlertz to receive text blasts from the congregation. 5linx now requires a two-step opt-in process to subscribe to receive church text alerts. What this means is that some members who were previously subscribed have stopped receiving text alerts because they opted in using a one-step process. We sent out an email blast containing a list of members who need to resubscribe. To subscribe or to resubscribe, text the keyword CCROXBURY to 855-908-6614, which should generate an automated text instructing you to reply YES to confirm that you want to subscribe. Once you reply YES, you will receive another automated text confirming that you have successfully subscribed. You can also opt in by scanning the QR code below and following the prompts. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we thank you for your continued patience.
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Click here or anywhere in the announcement above for more information.
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We will continue to offer two Sunday morning worship services to accommodate in-person attendees
The first service begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs until approximately 9:45 a.m.; the second service begins at 11:00 a.m. The auditorium is sanitized between services. The weekly adult Bible class/devotional begins at 10:00 a.m. The usual sign-up rules and COVID protocols remain in effect. When you access the online sign-up form, you will be required to specify which service you would like to attend. Once capacity has been reached for a particular time slot, the form will no longer accept new registrations for that time slot. We will continue to livestream the 11:00 service on our YouTube channel, and we encourage members to utilize e-giving, even when attending in person.
PLEASE NOTE: THE LINK BELOW IS FOR NEXT WEEK'S SERVICE
In-Person Worship Sign-up
Please also note that there is a new registration link each week.
E-giving link
Livestream link
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Click here or anywhere in the announcement above to view full-sized flier.
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Thank you to all who assisted with Saturday's outreach effort on March 25th. Our April outreach will take place on Saturday, April 22nd. All are welcome to participate. Masks required. |
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The Department of Public Health continues to urge all who are eligible to be vaccinated and/or boosted to do so, as vaccination is currently the best medical defense against the potentially deadly effects of COVID and its variants.
All Massachusetts residents ages 6-months and up are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and many facilities have walk-in hours. Booster shots are available for the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines at many pharmacies and health care facilities. Use the link below if you need assistance scheduling an appointment or locating a facility.
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Click here or anywhere in the announcement above for more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). |
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Remote & In-Person
Class/Meeting Schedule
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Wednesday Night In-Person & Dial-In Bible Study
Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. in-person and via freeconferencecall.com.
Dial in number: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
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REMINDER: Please remember to mute your phone or computer when joining any of the above conference calls to avoid interrupting the class or service you are entering, particularly if you are joining the call after the event has started. |
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The Couples' Ministry meets via Zoom the second and third Fridays of the month at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
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Click here to RSVP to attend. Remember that space is limited.
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Our April Women's Class will be held on Sunday, April 23 , 2023 at 5:00 p.m. at the church building, and via Free Conference Call for those who cannot attend in person.
Dial in: 978-990-5000
Access Code: 261232#
Or, join the class online at
Presenter: Sis. Miranda ADEkoje
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April 2023
Visitor Thank You Letters - Sis. Maggie Robbins
Visitor Gift Bags - Sis. Elizabeth Pegram
Baptistry -Sis. Karla Unger-Laffin
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Please note that the dial-in number for this conference call has changed. The new number is 945-218-0112. The access code remains the same, 3730930. |
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2023 Mature in Heart Pennsylvania Dutch Country Excursion: Our 2023 trip is scheduled for Thursday, September 14th through Friday, September 15th to see a production of “Moses” at the Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 14th. The cost for bus, hotel, dinner and show is as follows:
- $340/person for quad occupancy (families)
- $358/person for triple occupancy (families)
- $393/person for double occupancy
- $514 for single occupancy
- $830/couple for grand king room
Sign up is open now and a $75 deposit is required by to hold a spot. The number is limited by bus capacity and hotel availability. If you have not already done so, please get your deposit in ASAP to secure your spot so we can finalize the theater seating. Seats can only be assigned for purchased tickets.
Payments can be made via our e-giving link at:
https://www.churchofchristinroxbury.org/e-giving. Please follow up any payments with an email to cocroxbury@gmail.com with the subject line "Pennsylvania Trip Payment" and your name and payment amount in the body of the email so that your payments can be properly recorded.
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Our March Men's Class will be held on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at the church building.
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This event will take place at the Providence Church of Christ. Details to come. |
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2023 New England Lectureship
May 5-7, Mansfield, MA
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Don't Delay!
Book your hotel room and register now to attend this year's New England Lectureship in Mansfield, Massachusetts, Friday, May 5th - Sunday, May 7th. This year's theme is, "The Post-Pandemic Church: Lessons on Our New Normal."
Use the links below to access registration forms, hotel information, vendor form, and souvenir booklet ad form. Registration deadline is April 15, 2023.
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Young Adult Ministry (YAM) |
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Date of next meeting will be announced. |
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Monthly Ministry Meeting
1st Sunday of each month at 1:00 p.m.
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Meetings & Events
4/1 - Security & Usher Ministry Meeting, 1 p.m. @church building
4/2 Youth Ministry Meeting, 1:00 p.m.
4/3 - Ministers/Elders/Deacons Meeting, 7 p.m. via Zoom
4/8 - Publications & Communications Ministry Meeting, 9 a.m. via Zoom
4/9 - Deacons' Meeting, following 11 a.m. service @church building.
4/16 - Retention Ministry Meeting following 11:00 service @church building.
4/22 - Community Outreach, 10 a.m.
4/23 - Men's and Women's Classes, 5 p.m. @church building
Masks are required for all in-person events.
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Ministry Meetings - Please contact your ministry coordinator for remote meeting schedules.
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- Sunday New Converts' Class, 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Bible Class (children) Sundays at 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Adult Devotional/Bible Study, 10:00am @church building
- Sunday Worship Service 8:30 and 11:00 am in person and 11:00 a.m. via livestream on YouTube. See above for details.
- Men's/Women's Classes, 5pm (4th Sunday of the month) @church building
- Youth & Family Ministry (1st Sunday of the month at 2pm)
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Mature in Heart Women's Prayer (Tuesdays @ 10:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Prayer Meeting (Tuesdays @ 7pm) VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Mid-Week Bible Study (Wednesdays @ 6:30pm) in person and VIA TELECONFERENCE (connection info above)
- Mid-Week New Converts' Class (Wednesdays @ 7pm) @church building
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Healing Hearts (Thursdays @6:15pm) VIA ZOOM
- Couple's Ministry (2nd & 3rd Fridays @ 7 pm)
- Women's Prayer (Saturdays 9:30am) VIA TELECONFERENCE (Connection info above)
- Ministers/Elders/Deacons Wives Meeting, (3rd Saturday @10 am) @church building
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Bro. John Kurpiel, minister for the Lawrence congregation, hosts an international radio program, “Soul Food,” on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11AM until 3PM. The program airs on Ignite Radio Broadcast via Mixlr, an interactive internet radio platform. Use the link below to tune in to listen, or to participate in the conversation. Always free to listen. https://mixlr.com/ignite-radio-broadcast.
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Church of Christ in Roxbury
81 Walnut Avenue
Roxbury, MA 02119
617-442-5826
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