Happy Easter-Celebrate Easter in Silicon Valley
By Michelle Carr-Crowe, Silicon Valley Top 5% real estate agent
Hallelujah & Happy Easter!
Christians believe Jesus was God in human form and without sin, loved the people of this world so much, He was willing to die in their place. Those who accept His gift of eternal life may not be perfect, but are considered “born again” and destined to enjoy eternal life with Jesus and other believers.
Easter is the Christian celebration of Jesus’ victory over death and Satan. After being wrongly accused and crucified as a criminal, Jesus died on the cross, then rose again three days later. Anyone who believes and accepts that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and died for his or her sins, confesses those sins and asks for forgiveness will live eternally in heaven. What a reason to celebrate!
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
Matthew 28:5-7 (NIV)
Essentially, Easter celebrates the return of Jesus Christ from death to life. In the dark early morning of Good Friday, Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Pharisees, a powerful religious group, for a price of 30 pieces of silver. By the afternoon of Good Friday, Jesus was condemned to crucifixion (death on a cross), along with two other criminals, by Pontius Pilate.
After confirming Jesus was dead, he was quickly moved to an interim tomb as there wasn’t enough time to properly prepare the body for Jewish burial before Sabbath started at sundown. Roman centurions them guarded the tomb where Jesus was buried. They hoped to squelch any rumors of Jesus fulfilling Biblical prophecy and coming back to life (as you can tell, that plan did not work).
On Sunday morning, three female followers of Christ went to his tomb to prepare him for burial, but instead found the rock rolled away and an angel who told them, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples.”
Christians believe Jesus was God in human form and without sin, loved the people of this world so much, He was willing to die in their place. Those who accept His gift may not be perfect, but are considered “born again” and destined to enjoy eternal life with Jesus and other believers.
In multi-ethnic Silicon Valley, traditional Easter celebrations include attending church and at least one big family meal. Brunch is popular as are traditional Easter buffets, although many are crowded and expensive on Easter Sunday. Most people here prefer gathering together with family and friends, sharing a meal of traditional ham, deviled eggs and fruit salad.
Here are some places Christians celebrate and enjoy Easter celebrations throughout San Jose and throughout Santa Clara County, with services offered in languages from English to Spanish to Chinese to Farsi; even ancient Gregorian chants are available.
Catholic Diocese of San Jose – Numerous services available in English, Spanish, Portugese and Vietnamese in Alviso, Campbell, Cupertino, San Jose, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale. Some examples are listed; click the Catholic Diocese of San Jose link to see all options.
St. Lucy’s
2350 Winchester Blvd., Campbell
408.378.2464
Easter Sunday
7:00, 9:00 & 11:00 am (English) and 1:00p (Spanish)
St. Thomas Aquinas
751 Waverly St., Palo Alto
650.494.2496
Easter Sunday
7:30 am, 8:45 am & 10:30 am (English); Noon (Gregorian)
625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, CA, 94302
650.323.6167
Easter Sunrise Service - 7am
1711 Winchester Blvd., Campbell, CA 95008
408.370.1500
Worship Service: 8:00 am & 11:15 am
Translation headphones available in Chinese
International Christian Center
3275 Williams Rd., San Jose, CA, 95117
10:30 am; Egg Hunt, Crafts & Games for Elementary and Under to follow service
Iranian Christian Church
740 E. Arques Ave., Sunnyvale, Ca 94085
408.732.7070
Worship Service: 10:00 am
The Adult Church service is conducted in Farsi with translation earphones available in English
105 Nortech Parkway
San Jose, CA 95134
408.262.0900
7:30 am, 9:00 am & 11:15 am English; 2:00 pm Spanish
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