Morning Church!
It feels like summer out there! Were it not for the yellow haze, one would think it was June instead of the beginning of April.
But April it is, and Holy Week and Easter are just around the corner. So I wanted to spend a little time making sure we are all up to date on what is happening around the church this month. This is a time of sadness as we face the pain and anguish of the cross with Jesus. But it is also a time of great, great joy as we shout alleluia on Easter morning! We want to make sure that we pay attention to it all.
To prepare us for the season, the Community Chorus is presenting a wonderful concert with performances on Friday, April 11 and Saturday, April 12 (both at 7:30). It is called “For the Beauty of the Earth” and promises to open our hearts to all the beauty around us. I hope you will either call or go online to Carrollton Cultural Arts Center and reserve a seat.
The next morning, we will celebrate Palm/Passion Sunday and the waving of the palm branches as King Messiah Jesus enters Jerusalem. We will hear the passion story for the first time in order to make sure that no one misses it before the Easter celebration. This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most sacred time of the Christian year. We are changing things a little this year…… we are having a Holy Week Luncheon on Wednesday to “touch base” with Jesus and what he was doing on the Wednesday before his arrest and death. Then (leaving out the Seder/Jesus meal on Thursday night), we will instead have a Maundy Thursday/Tenebrae Service at 7:00 PM. My prayer is to see our Sanctuary filled to capacity that evening. So plan on inviting your friends and family! We will begin with a remembrance of the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples, his washing of their feet and giving them the mandate to love one another. Then the service will turn to the next day as we see the Sanctuary stripped of all the signs of Jesus, ending with an extinguishing of the light. We will remove the purple cloth from the cross outside and replace it with black as we go in silence into the dark to wait for Easter morning! If you have not attended this service in the past, I want to especially encourage you to come. It is most meaningful. AND it makes us appreciate Easter morning so much more!
So, there is lots going on! My prayer is that during this one holy week, we will be blessed as we gather together to love Jesus and thank him for the gift he gave.
The news continues to swirl around us and we are not sure what to think – except for the one thing we know: God is in control.
Our psalm for Sunday is 126: Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy! This is one thing I know. All is well. And again…… all will be well!
See you on Sunday. If you are going somewhere on a spring break, have fun! Be careful!! But when you get home, please plan on joining us for all the Holy Week Activities. You will be blessed and you will be a blessing to others.
Love you all!
Rev. Martha