Happy Palm Sunday, everyone!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

After surviving a performance of the St. John Passion last night, my choir opened this morning's main service with Weelke's "Hosanna to the Son of David." We then had a palm processional but soon transitioned to a Passion Sunday observance with reading of the Passion according to Luke and performances of Lotti's "Crucifixus" and the first movement of Howells' Requiem, "Oh Savior of the World."

This is the beginning of a Holy Week marathon. :-)

[polmaven]

1. Saturday night will be the most touching service

at my church. Yes SATURDAY night.

That is the night of our Easter Vigil. This is a unique local church service, and it is very powerful and very touching. It is probably my favorite of the church year.

Today, at the end of the Passion portion of the service, the altar area was stripped bare, and the altar gates were closed, so that we all are barred from the area.

On Saturday night, we will enter the Sanctuary in the dark, using flashlights, and have a quiet, prayerful, 10 minute opening to our vigil. We will then retire from the sanctuary (barring even that door, then)to different sections around the building, where we will hear various readings of the vigil the disciples kept after Jesus' death.

Finally, we will arrive back at the barred sanctuary door, where, after a last reading, the pastor will pound her fist on the door, demanding entry, pull the bar away, and swing the doors open. The lights will come on, the organ will play a joyful hymn, and the altar is once again full with the cross, the paraments, and all of the Easter flowers usually found on Easter Sunday.

As we all enter, the pastor will change from her purple robe to white, and will follow with the good news that Christ has risen.

Finally we sing and we rejoice, and we greet each other with the usual love and peace of God, secure in the knowledge and promise of Easter.

I know exactly what will happen, but every year I am still moved nearly to tears of happiness and joy.

Oh, and Happy Palm Sunday to you, as well!!!! :D

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. What church is that?

We did something similar in the Episcopal chaplaincy at Yale. Our Easter vigil started at 11PM. After candle light readings of prophecies, we went around the campus, singing the litany of the saints. Then the priest stood outside the chapel door and read us the Easter sermon of St. John Chrysostom. After he knocked on the door, the doors were open, and, as you said, all the lights were blazing and the organ was playing, "Jesus Christ is Risen Today."

The first time I experienced it, I was blown away.

[polmaven]

3. We are United Methodists.

It does sound very similar, doesn't it?

As I said, this is a local church thing, not UM in general, or even at a district or "Cluster" level. It was introduced to us by our pastor in 2002, her first year with us.

Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, this may be her last Easter with my local church. :cry:

But, then, a new pastor also leaves us to establish "new traditions" with him or her as well. Maybe the new pastor will carry on this tradition too. I hope so! You said it blew you away the first time. I expect this will be the 4th time I get blown away!

[RevCheesehead]

4. my thoughts and prayers are with you in this time of transition.

I am a UM pastor, and I understand the concerns and fears which come with anticipated moves. (let's just say that this time of year produces great anxiety for us clergy, too.).

What conference are you in? Your pastor sounds like someone I might know, or would like to know better. (I'm kind of a "high church Methodist, myself)

[polmaven]

6. We are in the New England Conference.

Thank you for your prayers and concern.

Being a UM pastor, you are obviously familiar with both the anxiety and the anticipation the change of pastors can bring. We had hoped she wiould be with us for a few more years, anyway, but it is evidently not to be.

But she is here now...at least through June, anyway, and we can still reap the benefit of her knowledge and love.

I am the Lay Leader, so I have gotten to know her fairly well.She and I have had some wonderful talks. Her heart knows no boundry, and we have been lucky to have had the experience of her leadership.

We are actually a pretty liberal church...A Reconciling Congregation...and probably giving the Bishop and the DS fits trying to find a good match!

You are in Wisconsin? Is that right? ...Actually, looking at your avatar, it looks like you may have given a Bishop or two a fit now and then too, eh? ;-)

(on edit...I think I need to shut down and go to bed...can't spell worth a damn tonight)

[RevCheesehead]

7. Actually, the WI conference as a whole is fairly liberal.

There are pockets of "confessing congregations," but most of us try to ignore them.

We have a new bishop, whom I have not yet met. Rumor has it that she is a bit of a renegade, herself.

Good luck with the transitions. As lay leader, you will be busy!
(And tell your pastor that I'm praying for all of you, too.)

[polmaven]

8. We have a new bishop too.

Bishop Weaver is the bishop involved in the Beth Stroud case in PA. He has vowed to visit each of the 500+ churches in the New England Conference by the end of his first year here. We have not had the opportunity to meet him yet either.

I will pass on your message to the pastor. Thank you.

P.S....I may come and look you up for a little bit of a sounding board if it gets too tense.

[RevCheesehead]

11. please feel free to PM me anytime. n/t

[pelagius]

5. Our church has a moving Easter Vigil service, too...

...and its our family's primary Easter celebration. Easter Sunday our church is overflowing with the "once-a-year" crowd (God bless 'em), so we usually don't fight them for seats.

The church is in darkness and we gather outside with unlit candles. The priest kindles a fire (with flint, steel, and a generous helping of lighter fluid) and lights the Paschal candle from it, then the deacon holds it up and cries outs, "The light of Christ!". We answer "Thanks be to God" and candles are lit from the Paschal candle and the flame is passed candle to candle as we enter the church and process around the chancel three times.

The deacon sings the Exultet:

"Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choirs of angels,
and let your trumpets shout Salvation
for the victory of our mighty King.

"Rejoice and sing now, all the round earth,
bright with glorious splendor,
for darkness has been vanquished by our eternal King.

"Rejoice and be land now, Mother Church,
and let your holy courts, in radiant light
resound with the praises of your people.
...
"Holy Father, accept our evening sacrifice, the offering of this
candle in your honor. May it shine continually to drive away
all darkness. May Christ, the Morning Star who know no
setting, find it ever burning -- he who gives his light to all
creation, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen."

It is truly a thrilling and joyous celebration that continues with the first Eucharist of the new church year.

[regnaD kciN]

10. Ah, the Exultet...

I'll be chanting it again this Saturday at St. Aelred's in Tacoma. It will be about the fifth time for me.

[regnaD kciN]

9. Holy Week marathon, indeed...

In the Episcopal parish I used to attend (and where I used to sing in the choir), I referred to this week as the "Judea Death March." Lots of music on Maundy (Holy) Thursday evening, lots of a cappella music on Good Friday evening, then they scheduled their Easter Vigil at 5:00 A.M. Sunday morning (!), which meant that, with commuting time plus rehearsal before the service, we had to be up at about 2:00 A.M. After the (three-hour) Vigil, there was a formal meal, and then, when you just felt like crawling back home to bed, you instead had to hang around for another hour or so before another rehearsal for the regular Eucharist that ran from 10:30 A.M. to sometime after Noon.

:boring:

To add to the fun, our former Priest was a very strong advocate for the entire parish keeping a complete fast during the Triduum, meaning nothing but water from after the Maundy Thursday liturgy until after the Vigil on Sunday morning. That advocacy ended after one especially memorable Vigil, when one of the Lectors passed out in the middle of his reading. ("And Abraham said to Isaac"....KLUNK!) Somehow, we didn't hear that much about fasting after that. ;-)