Yes, Friends, the spring peepers have returned, and prime time for their vocalizing is right about the time when our evening services will be ending.

May they be added incentive to join us for evening worship during Holy Week!

Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Saint Andrew's-in-the-Valley
Thursday MEMO
April 14, 2011

This Sunday, April 17, is Palm Sunday: the Sunday of the Passion, with services at 8 and 10 AM. The liturgy for Palm Sunday carries us into Holy Week. Services begin with the reenactment of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the crowds waved palm branches and greeted him as the messianic king. But the mood shifts with the reading of the passion story, and we begin the journey through the events that culminate in Jesus’ crucifixion and death.
Both services will include the blessing and distribution of palms. 8 o'clock will be a simple, quiet liturgy, with no music. The 10 o'clock service will begin in the Parish Hall with Liturgy of the Palms and an outdoor procession that will move us into the church.
Coffee Hour will follow both services. The children of the parish will assist in the distribution of
palms.

Reminder: Take your part in seeing to it that our church is abundantly graced with spring flowers for Easter Sunday! Offer flowers in memory, thanksgiving, or honor. Envelopes for your contribution and recognitions are in the pews. You may also phone or email the information (including the dollar amount of your contribution) to the office, and drop your check off when you are next at church. contributions need to be received by Wednesday morning of Holy Week for inclusion in the Easter bulletin. Thank you.

On April 20, Wednesday of Holy Week, at 7 PM we will gather in the church in the context of a simple liturgy for a showing of the film Holding Our Own: Embracing the End of Life. This is the highly acclaimed film that began our Lenten series, Holy Dying: Preparing for a Good Death, which the Wednesday morning participants have declared to be a "must see" for all of us. Join us to view this powerful, poignant and hopeful DVD .

The Paschal Triduum (the Sacred Three Days) is a three-part liturgy which begins on Maundy Thursday, continues through Good Friday and culminates with the Great Vigil of Easter.

April 21, Maundy Thursday, 7:00 pm: Foot Washing, Holy Eucharist of the Last Supper, and the Stripping of the Altar. The church will remain opened until 9 o'clock for meditation on the reserved sacrament..
The Maundy Thursday portion of the Triduum liturgy invites us into the intimacy of Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, his loving care for them in the foot-washing, and his self-offering for them in the bread and wine. “Maundy” (Latin: mandatum, ‘command’) refers to the commandment that Jesus gave his disciples to love one another. After the sermon, all are invited to have their feet washed. Those who come forward for foot-washing may then wash the feet of those who come after them, transforming this symbol of service into a sacramental action shared by all. The service continues with the celebration of the Eucharist and the reservation of the sacrament for Good Friday. You are invited to remain in the darkened church in vigil before the reserved sacrament as a way to deepen intimacy with Our Lord.

April 22, Good Friday, noon to 2:00: We offer a simple, very open, service of reflection on the Cross that includes the reading of Psalms and brief scripture, interspersed with periods of time for silent meditation. You are welcome to come and go according to your needs during this two-hour period. At 2:00 we will walk and pray the liturgy of the Stations of the Cross.
At 7 PM: The Liturgy of the Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. This liturgy, unique to Good Friday, includes readings, hymns, prayers, and anthems, and concludes with Communion, using bread and wine consecrated at the Maundy Thursday Rite. We are in the desolate valley of our three-day journey, the valley of the shadow of death.

April 23, The Great Vigil of Easter will begin at 8 PM: The liturgy includes, the kindling of the new fire, the chanting of the Exultet, dramatic Vigil Readings in the darkened church, and the First Eucharist of Easter.

On April 24, Easter Day: the Sunday of the Resurrection, we will have two services: a spoken Rite One liturgy at 8 o'clock, and a full, festive Rite Two liturgy with organ, hymns and choir at 10 o'clock, followed by an Easter Reception.

Readings for this Sunday: Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:36-27:66

Food for contemplation:
From Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Our world is a broken place. Despite the black and white desires of absolutist religion, even the best choices we make carry some negative impact. The world is defined by myriad shares of gray. When there is no good choice, we seek the best possible choice on the basis of God's law of love, knowing every choice we make requires God's redemption, and no choice we make is outside God's grace.

May you be blessed by the road we walk together in the coming days.
See you in church!
Peace, Heidi+