First and last alike, receive your reward.

Rich and poor, rejoice together!

Conscientious and lazy, celebrate the day!

You who have kept the fast, and you who have not,

rejoice, this day, for the table is bountifully spread!

Feast royally, for the calf is fatted.

Let no one go away hungry.

Partake, all, of the banquet of faith.

Enjoy the bounty of the Lord's goodness!

Let no one lament persistent failings,

for forgiveness has risen from the grave.

Let no one fear death,

for the death of our Saviour has set us free.

~John Chrysostom

We celebrate the Eucharist by remembering the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The prayer of remembrance is called the Anamnesis. This Greek word for remembrance comes from one who has lost their amnesia. Those who have lost their identity or purpose need to re-member what God has done for them and to know that they are unconditionally loved by God. I urge you to call your friends and family who have wandered from the church and invite them to re-member that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Palm Sunday and Easter are the core liturgical observances of the Christian year because we re-member what God has done, is doing, and will do for us. They are also the time when many people who have been away, come back to church. This year we ask all our parishioners to join us at our Holy Week Services in the church or online. Bishop Wolf will be at our 10:00 Palm Sunday Service. We meet in the Great Hall, then process with our palms through the Garden of Blessings into the church singing Hosannah in the highest! Hosannah!

Maundy Thursday is a simple service in the tradition of the last supper. We begin our evening at 5:30pm with a zoom Christian Seder. The Gospel from John is read and we wash each other’s feet at the 7:30pm service. The service ends with a dramatic stripping of the altar and we begin a prayer vigil through the night.

Good Friday is a somber reminder of the depth of God’s love for us. We pray at the foot of the cross with Mary and John. At 7pm we have a zoom and in-person Stations of the Cross followed by a 7:30pm Good Friday service in the church, on Facebook and on zoom. We pray in silence and ponder the incredible love of God in the act of Jesus death on the cross for our sins.

Easter Sunday is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection and the hope that Christ gives to each of us. All are welcome to share with us in his resurrection. Easter Sunday Services are in the church at 7:30am, 9:00am, and 11am or on zoom. .The children will celebrate with an Easter egg hunt. We will proclaim the resurrection. The 11:00am service will feature the steel drum band from St. Augustine’s. These services help us to see ourselves as part of a community baptized into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I urge you to come to as many Holy Week services as you are able, to invite guests and to welcome everyone with open arms.

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Duncan

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