Sunday morning, Palm Sunday, was a celebration that I still get the chills thinking about today. What a wonderful time of worship with over 138 in attendance at the special service. It is always a humble and holy blessing to celebrate the Lord's supper with you all. Speaking of eating, the fellowship we had over lunch immediately afterwards was simply outstanding. To see the people of the church dining together, visiting, laughing, and carrying-on - what a joy! The children had a wonderful time with the Easter Egg hunt and all the prizes that went along - and we even had a visit from the Easter Bunny. Thank you to Gina, Dana, & Thelma for helping organize the day's events.
As wonderful as last weekend was, we are entering into the crux of the Christian year. Tomorrow, Maundy Thursday, we will encounter our Lord at the communion table as we re-visit his last supper with the disciples. We will hear again the story of what occurred on that fateful night when they came together to celebrate the Passover feast. Dining together at our Lord's table, we will once again be brought into the presence of the universal church as we celebrate the breaking of the bread and the passing of the cup.
Then on Friday we will come face-to-face with our Lord's last hours as our choir leads us in a service of tenebrae (literally, shadows). Through this special worship time we will be coming in to the realization of Christ's passion, suffering, and death. This service is unique in that, like all Good Friday services, everyone leaves in silence, beginning a time of stillness in the life of the church.
Easter Sunday will be a glorious celebration of the resurrection of our Lord! It will be especially celebratory at our 8:30 service, where we will be commissioning the youth and adults going to Heifer International on a mission right after worship. What finer way to observe the resurrection than to send a group of dedicated people to spread the word?
I look forward to seeing you Thursday, Friday, and Sunday - don't miss the importance of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday; Easter Sunday makes little sense without them!
See you Sunday!
Lamar
