Episcopalians like to say that anyone who wants to know what we believe, needs simply to come and worship with us. Holy Week like no other week enacts what we believe about the world, ourselves, and God who created us. Through the liturgies of these next four days, we bring into our present reality the surpassing gift of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Indeed, to fully celebrate the resurrection of Easter we need to remain with Jesus through the Last Supper, the night in the garden, the arrest and trial, and the crucifixion and burial. The redeeming, healing work of our Lord happens because Jesus suffered and died and rose again. For Episcopalians, to celebrate the Resurrection apart from the observances of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil on Saturday simply rings hollow. We give ourselves a tremendous gift by giving ourselves fully to our life of worship for these next four days.

 

In addition to the liturgies outlined in this newsletter, I invite you to come this evening before the service for our lamb stew supper (with wonderful vegetarian options as well). Following the service this evening, plan to come back to the church for an hour during the night to watch and pray with Jesus, just as the disciples did in the Garden of Gethsemane.

 

Across the Anglican Communion, the Good Friday Offering supports the work of the Church in Jerusalem--work that cannot happen effectively without our support. Once again this year, we take up our offering specifically for the St. John's Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, an organization that provides life-saving and life-changing services to so many people in Israel and Palestine who could not otherwise afford it. Please make a point to remember this important work.

 

Also on Good Friday, we will have our customary three-hour liturgy at noon that will include meditations by our clergy and, this year, John Rutter's Requiem by the Bethesda Choir and orchestra.

 

On Saturday we will have our Carnival and Easter Egg Hunt. Please bring your friends and neighbors to enjoy this beautiful place and to have some fun together as an anticipation of the Easter joy that awaits us.

 

Finally, please make sure to look over the Easter Fact Sheet attached to this email. It will help each of us to fully embrace the joy of Easter. And it seems we still need to point out that, even though traffic patterns might be a bit different than in years past, we have always had lines to get in to our Easter Day services. We have always offered beautiful overflow seating in the Parish Hall with better views of the service than many spots in the nave. We have always had the privilege of welcoming many new and unfamiliar faces into our faith community. And we always and will always experience the joy of the Lord's Resurrection. There is simply no need to make any different plans to worship than you would have in past years.

 

I know you join me in thanking all of those faithful parishioners who are helping to prepare for and lead our services and other programs. We are so blessed to have such a strong and faithful group of volunteers who make this week happen with grace, prayer, and profound joy. I look forward to seeing you today, tomorrow, Saturday, and, of course, on Easter Day. 

 

Peace,

James+

The Rector

Good Friday, March 30

The Good Friday Liturgy with Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament 

Friday,  March 30 | 8:00 a.m. | Church   

The Watch in the church ends with this Good Friday service with communion from the reserve sacrament consecrated the night before on Maundy Thursday.

The Good Friday Liturgy with Meditations and Requiem 

Friday, March 30 | 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. | Church

This three-hour service includes the Good Friday liturgy, meditations from our clergy, and with music by The Bethesda Choir.

Way of the Cross

Friday, March 30 | 4:00 p.m. | Church and Garden

Our Youth Confirmation Class at Bethesda will continue their tradition of leading the Way of the Cross service at 4:00 p.m. on Good Friday. This service follows the story of Jesus' death from condemnation to crucifixion and burial and will feature members of the Confirmation Class offering reflective meditations.

 Palm Beach Fellowship of Christians & Jews 

presents 

 Pizza & Pathways...

in a World Turned Upside Down

Wednesday, April 11 at 5:30 p.m. - St. Edward Parish Hall 

Rabbi Howard Shapiro and Bethesda's own Tom O'Brien will screen and discuss the award-winning short film, "Of Many" the final session of the Pizza & Pathways series; doors open at 5:15 p.m. and program begins 5:30 p.m. Pizza and beverages will be available at 5:15 p.m. RSVP requested at (561) 833-6150 or  Click here.

Because there are a choice of readings for Easter Day, I am including three readings, one relating to the conversion of Cornelius the Centurion (which becomes important at the Council of Jerusalem), the second on the Isaiah Apocalypse in which YHWH will swallow up death, and the third from 1 Corinthians in which Paul presents the appearance of the resurrected Christ to him as equal to the appearances to others.  

 

Acts 10:34-43

The book called "The Acts of the Apostles" was written around 85 to 90 CE by the anonymous author of the Gospel According to Luke. The first 15 chapters of Acts are a didactic "history" of the early Jesus Follower Movement starting with the Ascension. The last 13 chapters describe Paul's Missionary Journeys - not always consistently with Paul's letters.

 

The Gospel According to Luke and Acts of the Apostles see the Holy Spirit as the driving force for all that happens. The events surrounding today's reading exemplify this.    

 

Peter's speech (today's reading) is part of the story of the conversion of Cornelius the Centurion and is a synopsis of the major themes in the Gospel According to Luke. In the conversion story, an angel told Cornelius to ask Peter to see him. Peter was moved by the Holy Spirit, went to Cornelius, gave his speech, and the Holy Spirit "fell upon all who heard the word" (v. 44). The conversion of the Gentile, Cornelius, by the power of the Holy Spirit was a key element in the so-called Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) where it was decided that Gentiles did not have to convert to Judaism (by a kosher diet and circumcision) to become Jesus Followers.

 

Isaiah 25:6-9

  The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Israel's history. Chapters 1-39 are called "First Isaiah" and were written in the 20 years before Jerusalem was under direct siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. "Second Isaiah" is Chapters 40 to 55 and brings hope to the Judeans during the time of the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they have suffered enough and will return to Jerusalem. "Third Isaiah" is Chapters 56 to 66 and gives encouragement to the Judeans who returned to Jerusalem after the Exile.

 

Today's reading is a part of the Book called the "Isaiah Apocalypse" (Chapters 24 to 27). Chapter 24 describes great destruction, but the next three chapters speak of an "eschatological" (end of times as we know them) renewal and restoration. Today's verses told of a banquet on the holy mountain for those who trusted in YHWH. This image was closely linked in Ancient Israel with an expected Messiah through whom YHWH would swallow up death forever.

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-11  

Corinth, a large port city in Greece, was among the early Jesus Follower communities that Paul founded. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians was written in the 50's (CE) and presented his views on many issues that were controversial in this Jesus Follower Community.

 

Today's reading presents a number of interpretive issues. When Paul says Christ died "for" our sins (v. 3) does he mean "because of" or "on account of" or "to atone for"? In 1 Cor. 15:44, Paul speaks of the resurrected body as a "spiritual body." In today's reading, is the appearance to Cephas (Peter), the 12, the 500, James (Jesus' brother) and lastly to Paul, a "physical" or a "spiritual" appearance? Nowhere in the Christian Scriptures is there a claim that any appearance of the resurrected Christ to Paul (including the three accounts of the Damascus Road Experience) was a "physical" appearance. Does this mean the other appearances (Peter, the 12, the 500 and James) were also of a "spiritual body"? Paul seems to assert that the appearance to him of the resurrected Christ was of the same type as the appearances to others.