We are fast approaching the Holiest Week of the Year again. Hope you can be present for Palm Sunday, which will begin outdoors at 9:50 with a parade of palms and then inside at 10:00 with a wonderful Gospel Hosanna, but we will quickly move from Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the earliest hymn in the Christian church – our scripture lesson from Philippians 2, which tells us that Christ “humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” On April Fools’ Day it is appropriate to remind ourselves of our call to be Fools for Christ, emptying ourselves of all selfish ambition, looking to the interests of others.
Please remember the One Great Hour of Sharing offering by which you can serve the needs of others these next two weeks.
Be here for our 7:00 Good Friday service, where we will move from Last Supper to Last Breath, with readings, prayers, and meditative music.
Our week culminates with a full and joyful Easter morning as we celebrate that indeed Christ is risen and the choir (with more voices than ever) sings, Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And he shall reign forever and ever. After worship on Easter, adults will have extended fellowship time to celebrate good news and children will have an egg hunt. (Youth will enjoy an egg-stravaganza at Gail and Grant Lowe’s house the day before from 1-3.)
Bring your own lilies and other Easter flowers to make our Easter morning bright, and if you’d like to remember someone special, you may write back to me now and name the person for our Easter bulletin.
Attached find our Holy Week postcard. We hope you will pick up several to mail or hand to friends or neighbors this Sunday. Also attached are a letter from our General Presbyter, Rev. Graham Hart, about helping people “see Jesus” And a statement from the PC(USA), along with other denominations, about the Trayvon Martin case.
Mark your calendars for the week of April 28-29. The Italian Dinner & Variety Show is on Saturday evening and then Sunday, after worship, a meeting of the whole congregation to hear the progress of the Building Vision Team and meet with the architectural firm, the Lawson Group. Hope you can be there!
If there is any encouragement in Christ...., make my joy complete by being together.... (Phil. 2:1-2 paraphrased)
With love,
Elizabeth
Attachments:
• Easter at Peace
• from Graham Hart, Peace River Presbytery.docx
• CUIC issues statement on killing of Florida teenager.docx
