easter day

 

Jubilate Deo! ALLELUIA! Shout with Joy to God, ALLELUIA!

 

 

The church was packed to capacity, decked out in all its glorious Easter Day splendor, the huge ornate organ bellowed out the familiar Easter strains of "Welcome, happy morning", the bells pealed, the special string ensemble added even more beauty to the majestic organ music, the combined choirs (Junior and Senior Choristers and the Trinity Choir) wafted through the sanctuary from up above where they performed in their balcony section, and the opening acclamation resounded through the sanctuary upwards into the huge wooden rafters -

 

ALLELUIA! Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. ALLELUIA!

 

The Trinity Choir practices before the start of the Easter Day worship



 O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.



 

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John _______

 

"Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.' So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; or as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.' Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' She turned and said to him in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' ' Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord'—and that he had said these things to her.

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The Easter Day Sermon - delivered by the Rev. Dr. Paul S. Nancarrow _____

Click here to listen to an audio version of this sermon. 

 

Mary turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” 

In that moment, standing outside an empty tomb in the first light of a new morning, Mary’s entire life changed. In that moment her grief was answered, in that moment her sorrow was healed, in that moment her life became opened to a larger life.

But Mary didn’t know that yet. Jesus was risen and all life was changed, but Mary didn’t recognize him yet, Mary didn’t know it was Jesus, Mary couldn’t see who it was that was asking her not to weep.

What was it that prevented Mary from recognizing Jesus, Jesus standing there, Jesus standing there alive beyond the grave? I think the first reason Mary couldn’t see him was because she was weeping, her eyes were full of tears, and those tears literally blurred her vision, clouded what she could see, so that she couldn’t make out the face of the one talking to her. Mary’s perception was so altered by her grief that she literally could not see the Risen One who was right in front of her eyes.

But I think Mary’s inability to recognize Jesus was not just physiological: I think it was psychological as well. Mary couldn’t recognize Jesus because she knew it couldn’t possibly be Jesus talking to her. She knew Jesus was dead, she knew Jesus was gone, she knew the body had been taken – and all these things she thought she knew kept her from seeing the truth that was really there. The truth was that Jesus was risen, the truth was that the power of death had been broken, the truth was that there was more to life beyond the life she knew – but she could not recognize that truth as long as her old expectations still limited what she would allow herself to know. Mary was prevented from recognizing Jesus speaking to her because there was no place in her psyche for that new, unexpected, astonishing truth to connect.

In a moment, Mary’s entire life changed; and yet, for a moment, she did not recognize the reality the Risen One was offering her.

And I wonder how often we are like Mary in that moment. How often are we prevented from recognizing the presence of Jesus with us, how often do we not know the new life the Risen One is offering to us? How often do we let old tears, old griefs, old hurts, old expectations, alter our perceptions and get in the way of knowing the living Jesus inviting us not to weep?

Once I heard a woman speaking about the consequences of child sexual abuse she had survived in her teen years. She told us the pain and shame and anger from that abusive relationship stayed with her for years, clouding and distorting all her relationships, making it difficult for her to trust anyone who seemed to her to be in power, making it difficult for her to feel truly close, truly intimate, with anyone at all. She said that, because of that abuse, she knew, she absolutely knew she was not worthy of being loved – and that expectation about herself made it impossible for her to let herself be loved for many years. Even when the possibility for genuine love was right there in front of her, for a long time she couldn’t recognize it.

I knew a family many years ago whose newborn baby daughter was diagnosed with a cancer in her stomach. They sought the best medical treatment, and they had lots of support from their family and their church, and they prayed and they prayed for God’s healing power. But their daughter died – and in their pain and their grief they were angry at God, but their church had always taught them that everything happened according to God’s will, and God’s will was always for the best, and being angry at God for anything really was a sin. So all that anger had no place to go, and instead it turned inward. That family continued to go to church, and go through the motions of church life; but their hearts weren’t in it, it had no meaning for them, and their church connections began to get frayed, and no one from their church ever told them that it was okay to be angry with God, that the Bible is full of people who are angry with God, and that God grieved their daughter’s death with them, and God wanted nothing more than to hold their hearts in love and help them find the strength to start their lives anew. Even when the possibility for genuine life was right there in front of them, for a long time them couldn’t recognize it.

The Easter Morn Achangel
Gabriel is part of a pair of Easter
Morn windows in Trinity. Tiffany
Studios, N.Y.

And how often are we prevented from recognizing the presence of Jesus with us? How often do we let old tears, old griefs, old hurts, old expectations, alter our perceptions and get in the way of our knowing the living Jesus inviting us not to weep?

Of course, in the story Mary is not left in that moment of unrecognition for very long. For a moment she fails to see that it is Jesus speaking to her. But then Jesus calls her by name – and in that moment of personal contact, in that moment of personal connection, in that moment of personal communion, then she knows him, then she knows that it is Jesus, then she knows that the tomb is empty not because the body has been stolen, but the tomb is empty because Jesus has broken the power of death, because Jesus has overcome the terror of the grave, because Jesus has passed through pain and suffering and sorrow and loss and has taken them up into a life that is larger than they are, a life that is so full of the love of God that nothing, nothing, not even death, can hold that life down. And recognizing Jesus as the Risen One, Mary knows that her life, too, is raised; her life, too, is caught up into a life that is larger than herself; her life, too, is brimming with new possibilities for living in the power of God’s love.

And I think we can be like Mary in that way, too. We know the reality of resurrection when it touches us in a personal way, when it engages us in a personal communion. Resurrection is just a Bible story, resurrection is just a church doctrine – until it calls us by name, until we have the experience of recognizing the living Christ present in our lives, sharing his eternal love with us.

The survivor of sexual abuse found that with great patience, and good therapy, and hard work, and the willingness to trust someone who really did love her, her life was turned around, her pain and shame no longer had power over her, she learned how to love – and that was recognizing resurrection.

The parents grieving their daughter found someone who told them it was okay to be angry with God, God was big enough to take it, and God promised no easy answers but God did promise light at the end of the tunnel, God did promise joy on the far side of grief. And bit by bit, step by step, they did their grieving work, and they rediscovered joy, and their family began to grow – and that was recognizing resurrection.

And how does that personal connection with resurrection touch you? How does the Risen One stand beside you in your life, and call you by name right now? Where in your life does grief find itself beginning to give way to joy? Where in you does fear begin to get caught up into courage? Where does confusion become decision? Where do things you already “know” open up into truths that are larger than you had imagined? Where does despair open up into hope? Where do you find yourself brimming with new possibilities for living your life in the power of God’s love? That also is recognizing resurrection.

Mary stood outside the tomb, weeping, her vision blurred by tears – until the Risen Jesus called her by name and helped her see through her tears and touched her with new life. Here, today, in this Easter celebration, Jesus calls you by name, Jesus wipes away your tears, Jesus touches you with new life. Let it be our Easter prayer that we may rejoice in this new life always. Amen. Alleluia!

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The service ended after all its majesty, pomp, and circumstance with one of the most anticipated organ voluntaries of the year - Charles Marie Widor's Toccata from Symphony 5.

 

Included below is the final two minutes of this amazing, extremely demanding and challenging piece.

 

 

the great vigil of easter: in sight and sound

Arguably one of the most ancient Christian services still carried out in modern times, it is almost more exciting and meaningful than the Sunday morning Easter service most have grown up with. The night of the Great Vigil of Easter commemorates the night when Christ broke the bonds of death and rose victorious from the grave. On this night, we hear the ancient stories of God's redeeming work, moving from darkness to light, from solemn chant to joyful song, as we celebrate the glorious Resurrection. It is on this night that my home church (Trinity Episcopal Church and neighboring church, Emmanuel Episcopal Church), join countless other communities around the world as we receive the sacrament of Holy Baptism and renew the baptismal vows. Without a doubt, this is the holiest night of the Christian year as God in Christ invites us into new life.

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The Rev. Shelby Ochs Owen gathers the people around the brazier in the churchyard to prepare to light the Paschal fire.

DEAR friends in Christ: On this most holy night, in which our Lord Jesus passed over from death to life, the Church invites her members, dispersed throughout the world, to gather in vigil and prayer. For this is the Passover of the Lord, in which, by hearing his Word and celebrating his Sacraments, we share in his victory over death.

 
Let us pray.
 
O God, through your Son you have bestowed upon your people the brightness of your light: Sanctify this new fire, and grant that in this Paschal feast we may so burn with heavenly desires, that with pure minds we may attain to the festival of everlasting light; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 

The Lighting and Blessing of the New Fire

(turn your sound all the way up and follow along with the above blessing!)

 

Following the Paschal Candle that was lit from the blessed New Fire and the swinging incense, we walked through the doors of Emmanuel and were greeted by blackness. Processing around the church still following the clergy to occasional chants of, 'The light of Christ. Thanks be to God.', the bleak effects of Good Friday still weighed heavily on the hearts of all those gathered. As we finally took our seats, the light from the single Paschal candle was distributed to scores of tiny candles that each one of us held. The dimly lit sanctuary's walls seemed to dance about faintly as the Exsultet began. For in this ancient chant, the Church gives thanks and praise to God for all that is recalled this night: Adam's fall, the deliverance from Egypt, the Passover of Christ, the wedding of earth and heaven, our reconciliation.
 
Exert from the Exsultet ____
 
It is truly right and good, always and everywhere, with our whole heart and mind and voice, to praise you, the invisible, almighty, and eternal God, and your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; for he is the true Paschal Lamb, who at the feast of the Passover paid for us the debt of Adam's sin, and by his blood delivered your faithful people.
 
This is the night, when you brought our fathers, the children of Israel, out of bondage in Egypt, and led them through the Red Sea on dry land.
 

The Rev. Dr. Paul S. Nancarrow chants the Exsultet

This is the night, when all who believe in Christ are delivered from the gloom of sin, and are restored to grace and holiness of life.

 
This is the night, when Christ broke the bonds of death and hell, and rose victorious from the grave.
 
How wonderful and beyond our knowing, O God, is your mercy and loving-kindness to us, that to redeem a slave, you gave a Son.
 
How holy is this night, when wickedness is put to flight, and sin is washed away. It restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to those who mourn. It casts out pride and hatred, and brings peace and concord.
 
How blessed is this night, when earth and heaven are joined and man is reconciled to God.
 
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 knows no setting, find it ever burning--he who gives his light to all creation, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

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The Rev. Dr. Nancarrow and The Rev. Owen begin each new Lesson with a Collect

Next comes the Liturgy of the Word. Where those gathered hear the record of God's saving deeds in history, how he saved his people in ages past (the story of creation, Israel's deliverance at the Red Sea, the Gifts of Wisdom - Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 - and a new heart and a new spirit - Ezekiel 36:24-28) interspersed with chanted Psalms, canticles, and hymns.

 

The combined choirs of Trinity and Emmanuel chant the Psalms and canticles

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Ending this part of the service with a solemn hymn, the congregation, led again by the Paschal candle, swinging incense, priests, and choirs, went in procession from Emmanuel to Trinity. Still carrying our handheld candles, the procession symbolizes the light of Christ going forth into the world. Like lightened buoys bobbing on a calm ocean, the lighted candles made their way down the darkened, quiet streets of downtown Staunton helped along the way by the Staunton Police Department up to the doors of Trinity Church...
 

 

 

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The Paschal Candle was then placed in the front of Trinity by the baptismal font. On this most holy night, in which our Lord passed over from death to life, we baptized into his fellowship those who came to him in faith and renewed our own baptismal vows as well.

 

Exert from the Renewal of Baptismal Vows ____

 

ON this most Holy Night, let us now pray for all those everywhere who are to receive the Sacrament of new birth and for ourselves as we prepare to renew our own baptismal vows....GRANT, O Lord, that we may find our inheritance with the Blessed Virgin Mary, with patriarchs, matriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and all the saints; and we pray that, encouraged by their examples, aided by their prayers, and strengthened by their fellowship, we also may be partakers of the eternal life of the saints in light, through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The Rev. Dr. Nancarrow and The Rev. Owen lead the congregation in the renewal of baptismal vows

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At the moment the last concluding prayer of the baptismal portion of the service is completed, the darkness that has enveloped the church since the mourning period of Good Friday is ripped away with a flourish. Light shatters into the filled sanctuary and the altar, which had been stripped bear - all adornments and decorations removed - because of the sorrow of Good Friday, has it itself been resurrected to its former glory to bring in the resurrected Christ. The organ bellows out a triumphal and gloriously deafening fanfare, the bells peal out their ringing, and we are all reminded that Christ has now passed from death into life. The priest, with arms outstretched, then cries out the word that has been hidden since Ash Wednesday over forty long days ago...

 

 

ALLELUIA! Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. ALLELUIA!

 

O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord's resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in  sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS IS ANNOUNCED

"AFTER the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.' So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, 'Greetings!' And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.' "

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From here, the service progresses forward as normal - only with a flare and rejuvenating intensity only found on being witness to the first moments of Easter. It then concludes with the first great Holy Eucharist of the festal season of Eastertide - fifty days of Easter joy and celebration lay before us until Pentecost Sunday.



The Consecration of the Bread and Wine

 

Lord, we pray that in your goodness and mercy your Holy Spirit may descend upon us, and upon these gifts, sanctifying them and showing them to be holy gifts for your holy people, the bread of life and the cup of salvation, the Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ.



 

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THE EASTER BLESSING

 

MAY Almighty God, who has redeemed us and made us his children through the resurrection of his Son our Lord, bestow upon you the riches of his blessing. Amen.

 

MAY God, who through the water of baptism has raised us from sin into newness of life, make you holy and worthy to be united with Christ for ever. Amen.

 

MAY God, who has brought us out of bondage to sin into true and lasting freedom in the Redeemer, bring you to your eternal inheritance. Amen.

 

AND the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, an the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen.

 

LET US GO FORTH IN THE NAME OF CHRIST. ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!

THANKS BE TO GOD, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!

the passion of our lord jesus christ according to john

Editor's Note: Having practically lived at the church since Friday afternoon, blogging became a far second place in my Holy Week climax. That being said, with pictures and an immense amount of reflection that came during the absence of blogging from those three final days of Holy Week, I'll begin by recapping Good Friday and go forward from there.

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Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

 

"When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it. Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.  Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, 'Who is it you want?' 'Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied. 'I am he,' Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground. Again he asked them, 'Who is it you want?' 'Jesus of Nazareth,' they said. Jesus answered, 'I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.' This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: 'I have not lost one of those you gave me.' Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, 'Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?' Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.

 

"Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in. 'You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?' she asked Peter.

He replied, 'I am not.' It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

"Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 'I have spoken openly to the world,' Jesus replied. 'I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.' When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. 'Is this the way you answer the high priest?' he demanded. 'If I said something wrong,' Jesus replied, 'testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?' Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

"Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, 'You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?' He denied it, saying, 'I am not.' One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him,' Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?' Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

"Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, 'What charges are you bringing against this man?' 'If he were not a criminal,' they replied, 'we would not have handed him over to you.' Pilate said, 'Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.' 'But we have no right to execute anyone,' they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' 'Is that your own idea,' Jesus asked, 'or did others talk to you about me?' 'Am I a Jew?' Pilate replied. 'Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?' Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.' 'You are a king, then!' said Pilate. Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.' 'What is truth?' retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, 'I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?' They shouted back, 'No, not him! Give us Barabbas!' Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.

"Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, 'Hail, king of the Jews!' And they slapped him in the face. Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, 'Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.' When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, 'Here is the man!' As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, 'Crucify! Crucify!' But Pilate answered, 'You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.' The Jewish leaders insisted, 'We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.' When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. 'Where do you come from?' he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 'Do you refuse to speak to me?' Pilate said. 'Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?' Jesus answered, 'You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.' From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, 'If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.' When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. 'Here is your king,' Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, 'Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!' 'Shall I crucify your king?' Pilate asked. 'We have no king but Caesar,' the chief priests answered. Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

"So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, 'Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.' Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.' When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 'Let’s not tear it,' they said to one another. 'Let’s decide by lot who will get it.' This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.' So this is what the soldiers did. Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, 'Woman, here is your son,' and to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

"Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, 'I am thirsty.' A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.  Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken,' and, as another scripture says, 'They will look on the one they have pierced.' "

 

The culminating moment in the Stations of the Cross.



the body and the blood: maundy thursday

Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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"When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.  And while they were eating, he said, 'Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.' They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, 'Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?'

"Jesus replied, 'The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.' Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, 'Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?' Jesus answered, 'You have said so.'

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.' When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."

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This is the night where we celebrate and remember the Last Supper in the Upper Room - the staging ground of what would become, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, the "source and summit" of our Christian faith. It is the night of the greatest gift that Jesus Christ could ever give us - His very Body and Blood. There is nothing more important in our life as Christians or in our everyday lives than Christ and the Eucharist. That is why belief in transubstantiation is so important and every Christian must strive to cling on to that belief - no, that TRUTH.

Until we accept that truth and treat this holy meal for exactly what it is - the actual Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ - we are just going through the motions of what it is to be a follower of Christ. Starting over 2,000 years ago, Christ first fed his band of followers his Body and Blood - transformed through the mystery of faith into His own Body and Blood. And tonight especially, as we remember that first, sacred night where the mystery of the Eucharist was established, He feeds us once more with His own precious Body and Blood.

When we go before the altar tonight (or any other time) to partake in the Eucharist, communion, at the point of Epiclesis (Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in Him. [BCP p. 363] ) the bread and wine consecrated by the priest ceases to be that. It becomes the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ himself. True, if you were to look at this bread and wine underneath a microscope, one would see no change before and after the consecration and many sight this as a means to dismiss this belief and treat the Eucharist as nothing more than a nice gesture of remembrance or a memorial. But that thought is silly and perhaps verging on insult to the Lord himself. Ian Markham, Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary puts it in these terms: "When my father used to make bread at home, on one level it was just the ingredients that he put together and then placed in the oven. But on another level, it was bread made to be eaten in a family meal at the table. The truth of what these ingredients were must include the fact that it was bread made to be eaten."

The bottom line is not only (as outlined explicitly in John 6) that Jesus Christ dove into the differences between partaking of Him in all respects (his actual Body and Blood) in his conversation with the disciples immediately after he fed 5,000 people, in which he made absolutely clear that when one takes communion you are partaking in his actual Body and Blood and that fact cannot be left up to interpretation, but also that there is a very present mystery of divine grace in operation at the moment of Epiclesis. Bread and wine ceases to be just that - it becomes Body and Blood. At this moment,

WE ARE TOUCHING CHRIST

 

And as Markam so aptly puts it, "So we eat and drink: we take Jesus into us. We receive the bread and wine knowing that they are an enormous resource. We are now empowered by a fuel that God has provided."

the fourth day

I'm one day late - busy day yesterday.

The Collect for yesterday,

The Collect - Wednesday in Holy Week

Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Yesterday, as we trace the footsteps of our Lord over this Holy Week, we read,

"Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 'But not during the festival,' they said, 'or the people may riot.'

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, 'Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.' And they rebuked her harshly.

'Leave her alone,' said Jesus. 'Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.'

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over."

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And now today is Maundy Thursday. The day of the Last Supper .... and the forbearer of the Passion of the Christ. It is today that we are given perhaps one of the two greatest gifts Jesus Christ ever gave his children. But more on that later...