Weekly beauty: "Thine Is the Glory"

There are so many wonderful Easter hymns it's hard to choose a favorite! Fortunately, YouTube narrowed down my choices significantly, so here is "Thine Is the Glory." Lyrics below and in the video.





1. Thine is the glory,
Risen, conqu'ring Son;
Endless is the vict'ry
Thou o'er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment
Rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave clothes
Where Thy body lay.

2. Lo! Jesus meets us,
Risen from the tomb;
Lovingly he greets us,
Scatters fear and gloom;
Let his church with gladness
Hymns of triumph sing,
For the Lord now liveth;
Death hath lost its sting.

3. No more we doubt thee,
Glorious Prince of Life!
Life is naught without thee;
Aid us in our strife;
Make us more than conqu'rors,
Through thy deathless love;
Bring us safe through Jordan
To thy home above.

Chorus:
Thine is the glory,
Risen, conqu'ring Son;
Endless is the vict'ry
Thou o'er death hast won.

Sacramental retreat

Since Grace is currently pastorless (interim starting this coming Sunday), I had the privilege of leading a sacramental retreat for the young man who made his first communion this year. He was sharp and thoughtful and kind, so it was a pleasure to work with him!

My "supervisor emeritus," Pastor Judy, gave me her materials and walked me through her process, so that was a great starting point. Here's her box of goodies...sacraments are a gift!





We made personalized magnets to remind us that God has called and claimed us as his own (Isaiah 43:1).





And we used the unbeatable Small Catechism of Martin Luther, along with the visual aids that Pastor Judy calls her Luddite Power Point. (Since there were only two of us, I didn't use her usual method of display, which is a felt board with Velcro.)





After the instruction session and our pizza supper, we went to St. John's United Church of Christ for their Last Supper drama. It's a sort-of reenactment of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, with each disciple sharing a few words about his ministry and experience with Jesus.





What better way to kick off Holy Week than immersed in the sacraments?

Holy Week highlights

The holy chaos of Holy Week is over, and it was a wonderful experience. I spent Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday at Grace and had a great time doing first communion instruction with them...more on that soon.

On Good Friday, we did a Stations of the Cross service at First in the morning. It was quiet and contemplative, a good way to start the day.





Then we had community Good Friday worship in the evening, involving almost all the internship congregations. It's been hosted by different churches in recent years, and this year it was at First. It was a wonderful experience to serve with almost all my pastors together, and to enjoy the gifts of so many different soloists and choirs.

To celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord, I started with sunrise worship with the Trinity folks, this year at the cemetery...more on that soon. Then I worshiped with the people of Gol, and hit both of their Easter breakfasts in between, of course.

After worship I stopped at First again to meet my supervisor for a nursing home visit, and here's the transformation from Good Friday to Easter. I love the spring flowers!





Meanwhile, I have plenty of less-than-holy chaos to clean up at home. After the craziness of the last couple weeks, my sorely neglected sanctuary is in danger of becoming a biohazard. The kitchen table is just the tip of the iceberg, so thank goodness for a low-key post-Easter week!

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!




The Easter lily cross that is a beautiful tradition at my home church, Bethlehem Lutheran.


Happy and blessed Easter to you!

Holy Week: Vigil of Easter

The Easter vigil is one of the church's central festivals. It has fallen out of practice in many areas, but a revival seems to be underway. It is a powerful liturgy that recalls the history of salvation and marks Christ's passage from death to life. More information here, here, and here.




Women Arriving at the Tomb by He Qi


Old Testament readings and responses:
(The * marks readings which are to be included even if others are omitted.)

• Creation* from Genesis 1-2 (response: from Psalm 136)
  
• Flood from Genesis 7, 8, and 9 (response: Psalm 46)
  
• Testing of Abraham from Genesis 22 (response: Psalm 16)
  
• Deliverance at the Red Sea* from Exodus 14 and 15 (response: from Exodus 15)
  
• Salvation freely offered to all* from Isaiah 55 (response: from Isaiah 12)
  
• The wisdom of God from Proverbs 8 and 9 (response: Psalm 19)
  
• A new heart and a new spirit from Ezekiel 36 (response: Psalms 42-43)
  
• Valley of dry bones from Ezekiel 37 (response: Psalm 143)
  
• The gathering of God's people from Zephaniah 3 (response: Psalm 98)
  
• The deliverance of Jonah from Jonah 1-2 (response: from Jonah 2)
  
• Clothed in garments of salvation from Isaiah 61 (response: from Deuteronomy 32)
  
• Deliverance from the fiery furnace* from Daniel 3 (response: from an apocryphal piece called the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three)
  

New Testament reading: Romans 6:3-11

Gospel reading: John 20:1-18




The Empty Tomb by He Qi


Eternal giver of life and light, this holy night shines with the radiance of the risen Christ. Renew your church with the Spirit given us in baptism, that we may worship you in sincerity and truth and may shine as a light in the world, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Holy Week: Good Friday

Lectionary texts:
Isaiah 52:13—53:12
Psalm 22
Hebrews 10:16–25
Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:7–9 (Alternate)
John 18:1—19:42

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. By your holy cross you have redeemed the world. (Good Friday liturgy)




Icon of the crucifixion of Christ.
Check out this site for fascinating info on how to read the details.


Almighty God, we ask you to look with mercy on your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed and to be given over to the hands of sinners and to suffer death on the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Holy Week: Maundy Thursday

Lectionary texts:
Exodus 12:1–4[5–10] 11–14
Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
John 13:1–17, 31b–35


"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)




Le lavement des pieds (Washing of the feet) by Corinne Vonaesch


Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment: To love one another as he had loved them. By your Holy Spirit write this commandment in our hearts; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Holy Week: Wednesday

Lectionary texts:
Isaiah 50:4–9a
Psalm 70
Hebrews 12:1–3
John 13:21–32


"Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me."
"Lord, who is it?"
(John 13:21, 25)





Almighty God, your Son our Savior suffered at human hands and endured the shame of the cross. Grant that we may walk in the way of his cross and find it the way of life and peace; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Holy Week: Tuesday

Lectionary texts:
Isaiah 49:1–7
Psalm 71:1–14
1 Corinthians 1:18–31
John 12:20–36

"Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also." (John 12:26)





Lord Jesus, you have called us to follow you. Grant that our love may not grow cold in your service, and that we may not fail or deny you in the hour of trial. Amen.

Holy Week: Monday

Lectionary texts:
Isaiah 42:1–9
Psalm 36:5–11
Hebrews 9:11–15
John 12:1–11

"Jesus said, 'Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.'" (John 12:7-8)





O God, your Son chose the path which led to pain before joy and the cross before glory. Plant his cross in our hearts, so that in its power and love we may come at last to joy and glory; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.