All forecasts point toward a sunny and warm Easter Sunday! We shall assume that will hold and that we will be able to light our New Fire outside the front entrance of the church. If you plan to take part in that preliminary liturgy to our First Eucharist of Easter, please gather on the sidewalk and steps by about 10:20 am.

     Last evening, we observed Maundy Thursday with our tr

	Parish Hall ready for Agape Meal

aditional  Agape meal in the new Parish House for the first time. It was a lovely affair in that space and an easy walk to the church for the rest of the service. Many, many thanks to Char Kennedy and her crew who organized and served the  meal. And to our musicians, altar party, and Altar Guild for their parts in making the liturgy--and all of our Holy Week and Easter liturgies so special.

Garden of Repose in the Chapel

This noontime, I participated in a moving service of Tenebrae (darkening) sponsored by the United Churches of Galena and held at the Galena United Methodist Church. And I look forward to worshiping once again with you this evening when we continue the liturgy of Christ's Passion. The story according to St. John will be read by three voices. We will meditatively venerate the cross as the choir sings the moving "Contemporary Reproaches" of John Bell in the Iona Community in Scotland. And we will receive communion from the Reserved Sacrament before departing in the silence lingers until we gather once more on Sunday when the alleluias return as we  celebrate the empty tomb.

         Blessings through the remainder of your Holy Week.

See you in church

Gloria+

This Easter the focus is, of course, on the resurrection, but the particular emphasis is on the liberation that Jesus brings. It is notable that the Acts reading is included, reminding us of that great moment of inclusion in the church's history, where Peter proclaims, "But God has shown me that I should no longer call anyone impure or unclean." In addition, the Gospel reading focuses on the women's role in the great resurrection drama, another great moment of inclusion in the history of God's people. The message is clear - the resurrection is not just about finding life for after we die. It is a doorway to life now for all who are denied life through exclusion, oppression or judgment. The challenge, then, is to embrace this life each day - to learn to become both those who are enlivened by God's resurrection life, in the face of the violence, oppression, injustice and death of our world, and to become those who bring resurrection to those around us, through service, welcome, generosity, compassion, solidarity, dignity and love. As long as the resurrection is only an anomaly in history, it has no real value for us. But, when it becomes a reality that infiltrates our lives and our beings, it transforms us into those whose every thought, word, action, value and attitude celebrates and releases life into our world.

 

The thumbnails and reflections excerpted from sacredise.com