Easter 2024

Thank you to everyone, from our dedicated staff to our passionate community members, who played crucial roles in making our Holy Week and Easter services so loving and beautiful this year.

Our Palm Sunday liturgy included a particularly well-read retelling of the passion story; the church was filled with beautiful music and stirring prayer as we marked Jesus' last days with his disciples.

As we progressed through Holy Week, the presence of the choir for the liturgies on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday made a particular impact and truly enriched our services. On Maundy Thursday, as the clergy washed parishioners' feet the choir offered Maurice Duruflé's beautiful and moving Ubi Caritas, an anthem appropriate for foot washing whose text translates as: "Where true charity and love dwell, God himself is there." This same text has been used in foot-washing services since the 8th Century CE. That service ended with the traditional stripping of the Altar while Bryce Westervelt sang the plainsong text of Psalm 51.

Good Friday was another stirring service. On this day St. John's offered prayers for the whole church, for Christ's saving mission and ministry, and read the Passion Narrative from the Gospel of John. The Choir sang Bach's beautiful passion chorale as well as the traditional American Spiritual "Were you there?" The service also included a memorable performance of Stainer's "God so Loved the World." This spare service of music and prayer was perfectly tuned to the solemnity of the day.

That evening, we embarked on a spiritual journey, a prayer walk through our nature preserve. Each step, each prayer, was a poignant reminder of Jesus' final day of life. This service was not just a walk, but a moving and beautiful way to connect spiritually with the story of our tradition and the stark beauty of creation in the early spring.

Easter Sunday was a joyous day. It included a festive egg hunt, incredible music, a filled church, and three incredible services of Holy Communion. We were thrilled, as always, to welcome back our festival brass quartet. They always add so much to our Easter celebration. Our choir offered the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah, adding musical exaltation to an already incredible day. Communion was offered using our rarely used silver chalice, paten, and flagon from 1835.

In short, it was an incredible week filled with meaningful worship!

Special thanks to all those who made it all possible. Your dedication and hard work, especially Matt, Bryce, Carol, and Mary Beth, and all of our volunteer readers, ushers, and, as always, our incredible choirs, were instrumental in creating such a memorable week of worship.

-Photo courtesy of Noelle DeLorenzo