Beloved in Christ:

Alleluia Christ is risen!

We have begun the Great Fifty Days of Easter. For the next several weeks, until the Day of Pentecost (May 28 this year), we will continue in our liturgy marking the miracle of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ in our prayers, the scripture readings, and in our order of worship, through standing when we pray (hard change to make, but try!), noting that as it says in Eucharistic Prayer B, “we have been made worthy to stand before you.” Through ancient tradition, we will not include the Confession in our order of worship, as a close reminder that because of God’s actions in the Empty Tomb, we are forgiven people, made new creations in Christ Jesus. The Confession will return after Pentecost. We will also include the lit Paschal Candle in every liturgy, as a reminder of our baptism and our belonging to God from our births until our deaths.

Before we move into the Fifty Days, I want to give enormous thanks to, and for everyone who worked way beyond expectations last week and the weeks before to prepare for Holy Week, and to come together with me to create such meaningful, memorable worship. Between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday we had 11 worship services.  Dain Waters brought her Altar Guild team together over and over again for every service to ensure perfection. The Motet Choir with Jeff Daehn and instrumentalists practiced for weeks to sing at 7 of those services. Readers, Ushers, Prayer Leaders, Acolytes, the Fellowship Team, and Sue Einspahr who organized the stunning flowers that so many of you helped contribute towards. It was a great week: inspiring, exhausting, and profound. Holy Week is a wonderful example and experience of the amazing fellowship and service shown by volunteers at Calvary. When we work together, there is nothing that we can’t accomplish.  Gratitude is not a strong enough word for the way I feel about this parish and you all. Love is a better word.

With love and every blessing,

Beth+