Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe that the season of Lent is almost over and that we are beginning Holy Week. This Sunday we will celebrate Palm/Passion Sunday. As the service begins we will celebrate with "Hosannas!" and the waving of palm branches. As the service continues, we will reflect on the events leading up to the crucifixion.
You may wonder, "Why Palm/Passion Sunday; Why not just Palm Sunday?" If a person only attends Palm Sunday and then Easter Sunday worship, they may never take the time to reflect on the cross of Good Friday. In other words, they go from celebration to celebration. What they forget is that we don't have an Easter Sunday morning where we celebrate resurrection, without journeying through the events of Good Friday.
We have all experienced those "Good Friday" times; times of loneliness or alienation, times of grief and distress, times of despair and guilt. The cross reminds us that whatever we are experiencing, we are not alone. When we find ourselves in a place of alienation, we discover the presence of Jesus who, himself, experienced the greatest alienation through his death on the cross. In our darkest moments, Jesus, God in the flesh, is there. We realize that those "Good Friday" experiences do not have the last word. The last word comes through Easter morning; the resurrection, the promise of hope, the certainty of new life – that is good news!
I hope many of you will join us during for these events of Holy Week:
· Thursday, April 2nd at 7:00pm for a Maundy Thursday Service where we find ourselves at the Last Supper with Jesus, and where we end the service by stripping of the altar.
· Friday, April 3rd as we reflect on the events of Good Friday and the grace received through Jesus' act of sacrificial love on the cross, the sanctuary will be open from 11:00am to 7:00pm for prayer and meditation. A meditation guide will be available and you can light a candle as an expression of prayer.
I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday. Please pray for the mission of Buckhall UMC: To make disciples of Jesus Christ.
Yours in Christ,
Linda
PS – I hope to see you all at the Easter Egg Hunt tomorrow, 3/28, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. Please invite your friends for this time of fun and fellowship.
Easter Sunday Services
Sunrise Service – 6:30am
Easter Sunday Worship Services – 8:45am and 11:15am
Fellowship/Refreshments – 10:00am (You are invited to bring finger food to share)
