HOLY WEEK & EASTER SCHEDULE

Palm Sunday, April 10^th

10 am Liturgy of the Palms & Passion Story with Holy Communion

Maundy Thursday, April 14^th

6 pm, Holy Communion & Stripping of the Altar

Good Friday, April 15^th

6pm, Stations of the Cross, Zoom Only

Easter, Aril 17^th

10 am, Festive Celebration of Holy Communion

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We are fast approaching the end of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week.  We will soon relive those last few days of Jesus’ life as he moves towards the cross.  There will be the triumph entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the Last Supper on Thursday with its message of becoming servants, and the tragedy of Good Friday.  We have to walk through all of this before we can get to the celebration of Easter!  Each moment invites us to participate in what Jesus is going through each day.  He has come to bring us the vision and reality of the Kingdom of God!

On Palm Sunday we begin with the story of Jesus’ coming into the city where he will face the religious and political authorities.  We wave the palms, symbols of victory and restoration.  It reminds us of our passion for sports teams in the final championship game!  We know what result we want!  Jesus’ followers wanted the ousting of the Roman occupation.  They wanted the “good old days.” They were weary of the rich and connected getting everything while they only got the crumbs of leftovers.  But, sadly, we know that this will not be the case.  The victory that Jesus will attain is not the one wanted or expected. It will be what God wants and it will be something more! 

We will gather in the upper room for the Last Supper.  Two vital messages will be given us there.  First, there is the scene of the foot washing.  We are called to be servants, not masters in this Kingdom of God.  This is unexpected!  Next, there will be given us the gift of our remembering what Jesus is to give … his body and blood … in what we have come to call the Holy Eucharist with the bread and wine.  We are reminded that Jesus is making the sacrifice of himself for us!

Next will come Good Friday.  We may find it hard to be here for long.  It’s about our betrayal and desertion of Jesus played out by Judas and the disciples.  It’s about the death of Jesus that comes because he challenges the worldly religious and political authorities who resist and reject what God is doing in him.  We are all guilty of making idols of the world.  We all turn away from God.  It takes Jesus’ death on the cross to put it abruptly in our faces.

We have to live through all of this before we may come to Easter.  We have to live with disappointment, suffering, and death before we may glimpse and begin to enter into the new life that God offers us in Jesus’ Resurrection.  The drama of Holy Week captures all of life’s powerful moments.  Good Friday is especially poignant for me this year with having conducted numerous funerals, including the one of a dear friend.  We all have to face the reality of death.

But the story does not end there!  We have Easter!  We have the promise of something more than death as the last word!  In the Resurrection of Jesus, we see new life!  We see that God’s love is greater than the sting of death!  Just like the season of spring that blossoms with vibrant colors and the return of warmth, God says that life, not death, will be the last word!  This calls for a celebration!  I am reminded of every time I see my grandsons, and as Diane and I await the birth of another grandson later this year!  Our God is about life! Jesus is about life, new life!  Easter is about life!  There is more to our story than we could ever imagine!  There is more on the other side of Holy Week!  Let’s believe, let’s live through the story and let’s celebrate!  With warmest regards, I remain, faithfully yours in Christ, Fr. Pat

We are unique!

We probably never should have happened. But here we are joining two separate church communities into one and enjoying every minute of it.  Properties were sold and properties demolished but our soul remains strong. The people of Christ Church are here because we want to be a part of the “New Thing” that God has created in our midst. We are committed to outreach.  Our goal is not to amass wealth, but to use the resources we have to build our spiritual base and support those less fortunate.

Food pantries… Back packs…Christmas with Santa are just a few of our projects. Studies in Scripture, Quiet retreats and opportunities for fellowship come together to help give meaning to our Sunday  Liturgy. There are not any red carpets in our newly consecrated church building, just a stone floor ready to accommodate the wheel chairs and walkers for the disabled.

Father Critelli