Monday, March 23, 2015

Spring -- New Life

Birds are singing, woods are ringing.
With they praises, blessed King;
Lake and mountain, field and fountain
To they throne their tributes bring.




We Thy children, join the chorus
Merrily, cheerily gladly praise Thee.
Glad Hosannas, glad Hosannas,                                                 
  Joyfully we lift to Thee
  -- L.F. Cole

According to the calendar we are now officially in the season of spring -- the time of new life.
We must have spring fever at SPPC for there is lots of life happening around our place in the next couple of weeks.


   This coming Sunday, March 29, is Palm Sunday.  We will celebrate holy communion during the worship.  Afterward, we'll gather for soup and a sandwich in the hall and hear a report from our mission team, about their time in the Dominican Replublic. (By the way, they arrived back in Canada, safe and sound, on Saturday, March 21, just in time for spring.)

    Palm Sunday launches us into Holy Week.  On Thursday, at 6:00 pm in the Sanctuary, we will hold a Tenebrae service.  We have held this type of service in previous years, but if you want to learn more about it, click the link above.  After the excitement and hosannas of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday will set the tone for Good Friday.

    Previously we have joined with other peninsula congregations for a massed service on Good Friday.  This year, we're trying something different.  We will hold our own service on Good Friday, at 10:00 am in the Sanctuary  Die Mahler String Quartet as special guests.  The quartet will play Haydn's meditations on the Seven Last Words of Christ  between gospel readings of Christ's passion and crucifixion.

   Then on Easter Sunday, all are invited to Cy Hampson park for our sunrise service.  Not exactly sunrise -- we're going for 8:00 am, but still early enough to get the feeling of "Very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun, ... and when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away;"  Mark 16:2, 4
  From the park, we head back to the church for breakfast -- thanks to the people who forego the sunrise in order to cook eggs.  
  Finally, at 10:00 am we have our Easter service in the sanctuary.  The Living Flame will sing an anthem, the senior choir will sing an anthem and an offertory and all the people will shout "He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed, Hallelujah!"

   Come join us for any or all of these services.  Our advertising says "a warm welcome awaits you" and it's true.

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