Lent, holy week and easter - 2009
In Lent, we will use the Rite I traditional language liturgy at our 10:15 as well as 8:00 services. Most Episcopal churches no longer use Rite I on any regular basis so we want to give a little explanation about why we do so at Mediator.
Our parish has a commitment to use the range of liturgical options available in our Book of Common Prayer. Rite I, with the "thee"s and "thou"s, connects us to our heritage, going back to the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549, and Archbishop Thomas Cranmer's language that speaks the beauty of holiness. Rite I also has a more penitential flavor, with a sense of the transcendence of God and our need of God's mercy and redemption in Jesus Christ. The service has fewer congregational responses, which can create a space for meditation and reflection. This makes it particularly appropriate for Lent.
On the Second Sunday of Lent, we will begin with the Great Litany, sung in procession, at the 10:15 service. The Great Litany draws together various parts of Medieval and Reformation litanies and "was the first rite published in English, in 1544, as a special supplication when Henry VIII was at war with Scotland and France" (Marion Hatchett, Commentary on the American Prayer Book). The Great Litany was revised for our Prayer Book and can embody our prayers in a time of war and uncertainty in our society.
While Holy Eucharist is our principle service, we have Morning Prayer four times a year at the 10:15 service (including March 22), and Evensong periodically (including March 8) so that we do not lose the meaning and beauty of the prayers and canticles of the Daily Office for those who only come to worship on Sundays. At the end of the Morning Prayer service at 10:15 we offer Communion from the Reserved Sacrament (bread and wine that have already been consecrated) for those who would like to receive it. We also offer laying on of hands and anointing for healing, for those who wish prayers for themselves or others. Communion is about healing and renewal, and the laying on of hands and anointing opens us up more fully to the healing power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
A number of people commented on how helpful the recent Instructed Eucharist was. Written copies of an Instructed Eucharist Rite I will be available during Lent, to enhance your understanding of this service.
We hope that by changing the liturgy in different seasons of the Church Year, our worship will be deepened as we experience different windows that are opened to God by our service.
Ash Wednesday, February 25.
Holy Eucharist, with the Imposition of ashes at 7:00 a.m., Noon, and 7:30 p.m. Ash Wednesday services invite us to reflect on our lives and relationship with God, to bring renewal in our lives. The imposition of ashes (made from the palms from the previous Palm Sunday) reminds us of our mortality. The Eucharist reminds us of Christ's sacrifice for us and our new life in Christ. The 7:00 a.m. service is in the chapel. The noon service will be held in the church. The 7:30 p.m. service will be held in the church, with choir.
CONTINUING OUR WORSHIP IN LENT
Sunday Worship
- During Lent we use the Rite I form of liturgy, which has traditional language and is more meditative and penitential in tone. On the First Sunday of Lent, we begin with the Great Litany, chanted in procession. This litany is based on one written in 1544 at a time when England was at war. As we are again in a time of war and uncertainty the litany, with its requests for deliverance from many kinds of harm or evil and petitions for good, can speak to our present condition as well. On the Second Sunday in Lent, we will have Morning Prayer Rite I, a service of prayers, readings, and canticles, with Communion from the Reserved Sacrament offered at the end of the service. On the Third Sunday of Lent, we will use the Penitential Order, which begins our service with a reminder of the Ten Commandments and the General Confession.Silence for Meditation
- During Lent we ask everyone to enter church before the service in silence, so that we can have a period of meditation before we begin our common worship. This will be a change for our congregation, which is used to having a more informal gathering period, so we encourage everyone's cooperation, including being aware of how voices carry from the hallway and the narthex (or entryway). Clint Miller will play quiet voluntaries before the service to facilitate reflection and meditation.Stations of the Cross
- We will have Stations of the Cross, Saturdays, (Feb. 28, March 14, March 21, March 28, April 4) at 10:00 a.m., in the church during Lent. Using the stations created by one of our members, Harvey Bonner, with scripture, prayer, and reflection, Stations of the Cross invites us to enter into the story of Jesus' passion. The service lasts about 30 minutes and can be a meaningful devotion walking with Jesus during his trial, death, and burial at least once during every Lent.Monday morning Bible studies will continue in Lent, wrapping up the series on the study of the Book of Job, which will run through March 9. The Monday morning study will then resume April 20 with the study of the Psalms. This group meets at 10:00 a.m. in the library.
Thursday Evening Soup and Bible Study - This annual Soup and Bible Study tradition will begin March 5 at 6:00 p.m. and run through Lent, ending April 2. The study will be based on the movie, For the Bible Tells Me So, to help us explore how Christian families respond to gay and lesbian children who enter relationships that are in tension with a traditional reading of Scripture. We will look at Scripture, tradition and reason and how they speak to us about these relationships.
Rite of Reconciliation - Lent is a time of seeking right relationships with God and other people. Some people find that it is a good time to use the Reconciliation of a Penitent (pp. 447-452 in the Book of Common Prayer) to let go of past hurts, or take an inventory of their lives and sort of get a fresh start. Although we regularly have a General Confession in our services, the opportunity to use this form of private confession, to speak out loud to a priest (or another person) the things we have been holding in our hearts and to hear words of counsel and absolution, can be a gift to renew us. You are assured that anything shared in this Rite of Reconciliation will always remain confidential. If you would like to learn more about the Rite of Reconciliation or would like to schedule a time to do the rite, please contact The Rev. Maria Tjeltveit, at 610-434-0155, or revmariat@verizon.net.
HOLY WEEK AND EASTER
Palm Sunday, April 5, 8:00 and 10:15 a.m.
Palm Sunday combines the story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when people waved palm branches and cried "Hosanna to the Son of David", and the story of Jesus' betrayal and crucifixion. This service moves from praise to passion. At the 10:15 service, we begin at the fountain in West Park with the blessing of the palms and carry them in procession, singing "All glory, laud, and honor", as we move into the church. (At 8:00 we move from the narthex into the church.) Our praise turns to passion as we hear the story of Jesus' betrayal, trial, and crucifixion in the gospel done as a dramatic reading, with the whole congregation reading the part of the crowd. This is followed by silent meditation. We then celebrate the Eucharist, remembering Christ's offering of himself to us.
Holy Eucharist - Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week at 9:00 a.m. in the Chapel
Tenebrae - Tuesday of Holy Week, April 7, 7:30 p.m.
Tenebrae is an extended meditation on the suffering of Christ, through reading psalms, portions of the book of Lamentations, and St. Augustine's commentary on the passion story. The name comes from the word for "darkness" or "shadows" and is embodies the gradual extinguishing of fourteen candles. A fifteenth candle is hidden and all the lights of the church are put out as we remember Jesus' crucifixion. A loud noise is made, representing the earthquake at the time of Jesus' death, and the hidden candle is replaced, by whose light the congregation departs.The service was originally done as three services over the first three nights of Holy Week in monastic communities. While the services were combined, Tenebrae maintains the simplicity, silence, and pacing of monastic worship.
Holy Eucharist with Foot Washing and the Stripping of the Altar Maundy Thursday, April 9, 7:30 p.m.
Maundy Thursday begins the Triduum, the three holy days in which we enter into Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. Although we have separate services on these days, they are tied together by the fact that there is no dismissal until the end of the Easter Vigil.
Maundy Thursday gets its name from the Latin, maundatum or commandment (the root of our word mandate) from Jesus saying to his disciples, "A new commandment I give you, Love one another as I have loved you." We read John's Gospel, in which Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, embodying the kind of love we are to have for one another. In the service we follow his example by washing one another's feet, an act of service, humility, and love. We then celebrate the Eucharist, the last supper of Jesus, where he offers his body and blood.
The service concludes with the stripping and washing of the altar, remembering Jesus being stripped before he was crucified. The choir sings "The Reproaches" a beautiful haunting piece of music in which Christ asks us "How have I offended you?" The service ends in silence.
The Three Hours - Good Friday, April 10, 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m.
12:-1 p.m., Christ Lutheran Church (13th &
Hamilton Streets)
1-2 p.m., Salem United Methodist Church (14th & Linden Streets)
2-3 p.m., Emmanuel United Church of Christ (16th & Chew Streets)
Good Friday is a day of paradox. It is a day that we remember the death of Jesus at the hands of people who betray him, deny him, condemn him, crucify him, and mock him. We see in ourselves the sin and hatred that could bring him to death. But we also see in Jesus the willingness to offer himself for those who betray him, and the plan of God to use Jesus' death to save us from the sin and hatred that bind us. So this worst of days becomes good through God's grace.
The service remembers the three hours that Jesus hung on the cross, with meditations on the passion gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, prayers, hymns, and silence. We process with a large wooden cross from one church to another, as a public witness to the neighborhood. People are invited to come for all three hours or one or two of the hours. This service includes the participation of the the Episcopal Church of the Mediator and St. Stephen's Evangelical Lutheran Church, as well as the host churches. The Rev. Maria Tjeltveit will be preaching during the first hour at Christ Lutheran.
The Proper Liturgy - Good Friday, April 10, 7:30 p.m.
The Proper Liturgy includes the passion gospel from John, solemn prayers for the world for which Christ died, beautiful music, and the veneration of the cross. The crosses around the church are veiled in black, and children are invited to help carry a heavy wooden cross up to the altar to focus our meditation. People are invited to light candles to place at the foot of the cross, as we meditate on the meaning of Jesus Christ's sacrificial offering.
Easter Vigil - Easter Eve, April 11, 8:00 p.m.
The Easter Vigil begins in the dark with the lighting of the first fire of Easter, and the Paschal candle, which represents Christ's resurrection. In the candlelight we hear the story of God who seeks to save us time and again, respond with sung psalms and canticles, and renew our baptismal vows, remembering that we are buried with Christ in our baptism and share in his resurrected life. Then we move from darkness to light and ring bells for the holy noise as the Easter Alleluia breaks forth and we celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. The Easter Vigil is followed by the Easter Revel, as we celebrate Christ's resurrection.
Holy Eucharist - Easter Day, April 12, 8:00 and 10:15 a.m.
Our Easter celebration continues with Holy Eucharist, with hymns and organ at 8:00, hearing the Easter gospel and sharing the body and blood of the resurrected Christ. At 10:15, we will reflect on the Easter gospel with a children's homily and a sermon, and our praise will be swelled with brass as well as choir, as we celebrate this festive Eucharist.
Following the 10:15 service, there will be an Easter egg hunt for the children as the adults share fellowship and refreshments.