Easter is Almost, But Not Yet, Here
Easter Sunday is April 17th, and it will be a special day. We’ll begin our celebration with a 7:30 am Sunrise Service in the Memorial Garden, followed immediately by breakfast inside. (There is a signup sheet in the Fellowship Hall for breakfast items, so we don’t all end up bringing the same food.) Instead of our normal 10:00 am worship, on Easter morning we’ll worship at 11:00 am. (This will give time for those attending both services to go home and freshen up. Also, 11:00 am, being the traditional worship hour, may be better for visitors.) Following 11:00 am worship, we’ll have a Fellowship Time sponsored by our youth. It will serve as a fundraiser for their summer mission trip to Kentucky, so come prepared to demonstrate your support. Finally, the children will enjoy an Easter egg hunt outdoors, weather permitting.
I’m looking forward to Easter. I always do. But…
Easter isn’t here yet. The saying goes “The darkest hour is just before the dawn.” I don’t know if this is factual, but it certainly applies to the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Easter Resurrection is glorious news and certainly a reason to celebrate, but if we don’t first acknowledge Jesus’ death, how can we fully appreciate his resurrection?
So we have to trudge through Holy Week in order to get to Easter.
It’s the darkest week of the Christian year because it’s the time we turn our attention to the suffering of Jesus. Yes, I understand why faithful followers of Christ might rather turn away, not acknowledge the insult at all. I get it. But I also see several good reasons to shine a light into the darkness. One reason is that darkness still exists in our world today. People still suffer the injustices of false accusation, violent arrest, hasty convictions, and harsh sentencing. People are still mocked because their thinking and behavior are different from the norm. Human beings still hang labels on others who have done nothing to warrant public denigration. Prophets still die for daring to speak truth to power.
So Holy Week, we’ll gather Wednesday, April 13th at 6:00 pm for Taizé prayers, featuring music by Barbara Luhn on piano and Gwen Aumann on flute (harp prelude by Mary Raymer begins at 5:30), Maundy Thursday, April 14th at 6:00 pm for bread and lentil soup supper and Celebration of the Eucharist, and Good Friday, April 15th at 6:00 pm for a service of scripture reading, hymns, and choral music by our choir focusing on the final hours of Jesus’ life.
Please join us as you can, as we conclude our experience of a Holy Lent and, finally, welcome Easter.
Teresa