April 10, 2014
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| At long last, spring comes to Saint Andrew's (by-the-Lake)! |
One Service only at 10 o'clock for this coming Sunday, April
13, Palm Sunday: We will gather in the Parish Hall for the Liturgy of the Palms, with the
Blessing of the Palms and Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and then
process into the church for the Passion Liturgy and Holy Eucharist. We hope you
will join us for worship and fellowship as we begin this holiest of weeks
together.
Our Holy Week and Easter Services Schedule is below, at the bottom, after the photo gallery.
Readings for this Sunday: Isaiah
50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Matthew 26:36-27:66.
Our Wednesday 5:30 Simple Lenten Suppers continue: On Wednesday
of Holy Week, April 16, we
will enjoy our supper, as we have been throughout the season, but
we will eat during our viewing of the film The Way, starring Michael Sheen.
Sheen plays an irascible American doctor who comes to France to deal with the
tragic death of his son. Rather than return home, he decides to embark on the
historical pilgrimage “The Way of St. James” (also known as “El Camino de
Santiago) to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey. Through unexpected
and often amusing experiences along “The Way,” Tom discovers the difference
between “the life we live and the life we choose.” We will follow the film with
a brief discussion. Since this is a two-hour film, our ending time may be as
late as 8:15. If you would like to come but need a ride, please call Carolyn
Boldt (767-0533).
Ten of us gathered last night for delicious soups
and fresh-baked bread as we listened to passages from Jennifer Lash’s book, On Pilgrimage, in which she reflected on
her time at Rocamadour, a convent and pilgrimage site in France on the way to
Compastela. The readings led to some thoughtful conversation, appropriately
whetting our appetites for this week’s film. We closed with an informal table eucharist. Please join us!
Special thanks to the participants in last
Sunday’s chancel drama of the The Raising and Unbinding of Lazarus: Chris Boldt, Christine Mills, Marty Cloran, Gretchen Behr-Svendsen, Patti Rau, Carolyn Boldt, George Rau, and Lisa Thompson. There is a picture gallery posted below.
Players wanted for the Easter Vigil production
of the Deliverance from the Fiery Furnace!!! This will be a seven-minute dramatization of Chapter 3 from the
Book of Daniel (in the Bible). It will require only ONE rehearsal, has no lines
to memorize (they will be read), and will feature only minimal costuming. Both
adults and young people are welcome. Talk to Heidi or Lisa. The Easter Vigil
begins at 8 PM on Saturday, April 19… And it’s guaranteed to be a lot of fun.
Reflections from the Rector, as we prepare for
Holy Week and Easter…
Who
doesn’t love Easter morning, with it’s hymns, fragrant flowers, and sunshine? But
that is an incomplete Christian Easter. We need
the liturgies of Palm and Passion Sunday and the days of Holy Week, with
their stories and messages, to fully enter into the resurrection joy of Easter.
You’re correct if you think these are provocative accounts, but please don’t
turn away from them. They work together to hold and support us through “the
hard stuff,” and give meaning and power to the empty tomb and the resurrection.
Henri
Nouwen in his book, Life of the Beloved,
speaks of God’s foundational call to each of us to love and be loved: "To be chosen as the Beloved of God
is something radically different [from our culture’s usage of the word which involves
comparisons]. Instead of excluding others, it includes others. Instead of
rejecting others as less valuable, it accepts others in their own uniqueness.
It is not a competitive, but a compassionate choice. Our minds have great
difficulty in coming to grips with such a reality. Maybe our minds will never
understand it. Perhaps it is only our hearts that can accomplish this. Every
time we hear about 'chosen people', 'chosen talents', or 'chosen friends', we
almost automatically start thinking about elites and find ourselves not far
from feelings of jealousy, anger, or resentment. Not seldom has the perception
of others as being chosen led to aggression, violence, and war. But I beg you,
do not surrender the word “chosen” to the world. Dare to claim it as your own,
even when it is constantly misunderstood. You must hold on to the truth that
you are the chosen one. That truth is the bedrock on which you can build a life
as the Beloved. When you lose touch with your own chosenness, you expose
yourself to the temptation of self-rejection, and that temptation undermines
the possibility of ever growing as the Beloved.” (p.46-47)
The
message that Jesus leaves with us as we walk these coming days of Holy Week together
is one of our own belovedness and the call that we should love as He loved. The
Maundy Thursday liturgy calls us deeply into that love: After he had supped with his disciples and had washed their feet, Jesus
said to them, “Do you know what I … have done for you? I have given you an
example, that you should do as I have done… I give you a new commandment, that
you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one
another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples [John
13:12-13, 34-35].
For
many of us (and this may surprise you, especially if you have never attended on
Maundy Thursday), this is a favorite liturgy of the church year. Its gentle
warmth and intimacy – whether or not you choose to have your feet washed and to
wash those of another – brings us into the circle of friends with Jesus at
his last meal. It is with joy that we then share the Eucharist together. And, as
Jesus and his disciples headed for the Garden of Gethsemane, with great love we
strip the chancel of everything that is not bare wood, reserving only enough of
the consecrated bread and wine for consuming on the evening of Good Friday. Those
who wish are welcome to remain for a period of candle-lit reflective prayer. I
invite you to venture out and join us at 7 on Thursday evening.
Blessings
in this holy season,
Heidi+
Heidi+
The Picture Gallery of the Raising and Unbinding of Lazarus follows [John 11].
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| Jesus said, “Lazarus is dead… Let us go to him. |
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| When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him. |
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| “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” |
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| When Mary came to Jesus, she knelt at his feet, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." |
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| “Lazarus, come out!” |
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| The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. |
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| “Unbind him,” |
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| “And let him go!” |
Holy Week and Easter Services
2014
Palm Sunday, April 13 - ONE service only
10
AM Blessing
of the Palms,
the
Passion Narrative & Holy Eucharist
Wednesday,
April 16
9
AM A
service of Morning Prayer
5:30
PM Supper
and film viewing of The Way,
followed
by discussion.
Maundy
Thursday, April 17
7
PM Liturgy
of the Day with foot washing,
Holy
Eucharist, and the stripping of the altar
Good
Friday, April 18
Meditations
on the Seven Last Words
12-2
PM– Come and go as needed
2
PM Stations of the Cross
7
PM Liturgy
of the Day with hymns and
communion
from the reserved sacrament
Holy
Saturday, April 19
8
PM The
Great Vigil of Easter, with kindling of the
new
fire, Vigil readings and
the
First Eucharist of Easter
Easter
Sunday, April 20 - ONE service only
10
AM Rite
II Festival Eucharist with
hymns, choir and organ
