Dear friends,
On the first Sunday in Lent, we welcomed ice sculptor Don Chappelle. As we reflected on water imagery in the creation story, he created an ocean wave from a giant chunk of ice. Each Sunday since then, we have taken part of that sculpture out of the freezer and watched it slowly transform as it melts. Each week its beauty changes. As it melts, we have been saving the water in a pitcher. This Sunday, April 3, we will use that water for a reaffirmation of baptism—a gentle sprinkling to refresh us with the waters of creation.
Our Lenten focus on transformation takes on a deeper meaning as we move into Holy Week. On Palm Sunday, April 10, we join with the crowds in Jerusalem waving our palms, with the awareness that the events of the coming week will turn our expectations upside down. We welcome Rev. Liz Garrigan-Byerly to our pulpit. We will process out of the sanctuary and join our friends from El Toque del Maestro in our annual parade, complete with a pony! We will gather outdoors for music, crafts, and pony rides for the young ones. Please note that our worship service on Palm Sunday will begin at 11:00 a.m. since the parade is at noon.
On Maundy Thursday, April 14, we gather to remember Jesus’ last supper with his friends, to honor his deep love for them and enter into the painful story of his betrayal. On Good Friday, April 15, we are invited to join in a Facebook Live service at 3:00 p.m., prepared by the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ, “Engaging the Passion of Christ and the Environmental Crisis.”
On Easter Sunday, April 17, we will gather outdoors around a fire pit, overlooking the cemetery for a Sunrise Service at 6:00 a.m.; at 10:00 a.m. we will celebrate in the sanctuary and on Zoom with a joyous worship service, including our flowering cross, our Easter Egg blessings, uplifting music, and a message of hope.
We began Lent with an ice sculpture, an expression of creation and creativity. We have watched the ice transform, reshaped as our lives are reshaped by God’s love. We will refresh our spirits with the water that has emerged. And then we will immerse ourselves in the story of Holy Week—expectations shattered, pain and loss acknowledged, and new life bursting forth.
May this Lenten season be a time of renewal and transformation for all of us, and for our world.
Peace,
Debbie