The Week of April 17, 2022 |
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Join us this Sunday at 10:15AM in person or online
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Dear friends in Christ,
Today, we begin the highest holy days of the Christian year, when Christians remember and observe the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our services during this observance constitute the Paschal Triduum or Easter Triduum, which begins with the liturgy on the evening of Maundy Thursday, reaches its high point in the Great Vigil of Easter, and concludes with the service of Easter Day.
On Maundy Thursday, we will commemorate our Lord’s institution of the Holy Communion at the Last Supper: “For in the night in which he was betrayed, he took bread; and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me,’” and did likewise with the cup of wine. After the Eucharist, as Jesus is led away from the Last Supper to his trial, the altar is stripped and the chancel furnishings removed; the altar is washed with wine and water, and the church is left bare. At the end of the service, no dismissal is given: the people scatter in silence, just as the disciples did.
The Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday is for many Christians and many Episcopalians the most powerful of the church year. The liturgy begins and ends in silence, and we hear St John’s passion narrative proclaimed and preached.
The following day, as the sun sets on Holy Saturday, we await in the dark the good news of the resurrection. In that darkness, a new fire is kindled, the first flames lit in the church since the candles were extinguished on Maundy Thursday. At the Great Vigil of Easter, we will hear the whole history of salvation, from humanity’s first disobedience in the garden of Eden, we will renew the vows made at baptism, and we will proclaim the good news of our Lord’s resurrection. And finally, on Easter Day, we will sing the hymns of the church, make our Holy Communion, and enjoy a festive reception in the garden as the children of the parish hunt for Easter eggs.
I hope that you will be present for one or all of these liturgies, as we, like our Lord, set our faces toward Jerusalem and remember and celebrate again all that God has done for us through Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection from the dead.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, we pray thee to set thy passion, cross, and death, between thy judgment and our souls, now and in the hour of our death. Give mercy and grace to the living, pardon and rest to the dead, to thy holy Church peace and concord, and to us sinners everlasting life and glory; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, now and ever. Amen.
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Yours faithfully in Christ, |
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Holy Week and Easter Services |
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Beginning this evening, the services of the Paschal Triduum will be as follows:
Maundy Thursday: 7:00 pm
Good Friday: 12:00 noon
Great Vigil of Easter: 7:30 pm
Easter Day: 10:15 am
The service on Easter Day will be followed by a reception and Easter egg hunt, both of which will take place outside if the weather permits!
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This year marks the centenary of the Good Friday Offering, which was established in the wake of World War I as Episcopalians sought to establish closer ties with Christians in the Middle East. Over the last 100 years, the Good Friday Offering has been an effective means to connect Episcopal parishes and individuals with the ministries of the three dioceses of the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. As in previous years, the loose cash placed in the alms basins during Holy Week services this year will be directed to the Good Friday Offering, so please be generous!
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St. John’s Community Foundation Grantee Highlight:
Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens
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For over 50 years, the Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens has provided sanctuary to the greater Stamford community. As caretakers of this 93-acre living museum, the Bartlett Arboretum strives to connect with Stamford's diverse community to foster a sense of belonging and ownership. In 2022, with the support of the St. John’s Community Foundation, the Bartlett is embarking on a professional landscape training program for immigrants and aspiring landscape professionals from low-income households. This program will not only help the Bartlett continue to build a welcoming and inclusive community that reflects the diversity of Stamford, but promote conservation and principles of sustainable landscape management to a new generation of professionals. |
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Prayers and Financial Support for Ukraine |
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The crisis in Ukraine continues, and our prayers are with not only those on the front lines and in the peace talks, but also if not especially with the millions who have been displaced. Working through the Action by Churches Together Alliance, Episcopal Relief & Development will provide cash, blankets, hygiene supplies, and other needed assistance to Ukrainian refugees. If you feel moved to contribute to these humanitarian relief efforts, please do give via ERD’s website: https://support.episcopalrelief.org/ukraineresponse.
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Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study |
St. John’s Tuesday Afternoon Bible Study meets every week at 2:00 pm via Zoom. During Lent, we are studying the book of Ruth. Beginning on Easter Tuesday (April 19), we will begin studying the Book of Esther; Betsy Owens will lead the discussion. Click here to join the Zoom meeting.
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Open Thursdays and Saturdays: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
The Community Thrift Shop welcomes new, almost new, and gently used clothing, home goods, and jewelry donations. All proceeds from the Thrift Shop are donated to nonprofit charities serving those in need.
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Recent Prayer Requests for Healing of Body, Mind and Spirit. |
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Please keep these persons in your daily prayers:
Ben, Carol, Daniel, Ed, Kedley, Lloyd, Marc, Terrence, Jon, Ann, Henri, Sharon, Erin, Dante, Anthony, Marie-Anne, Martha, Nessa, Angela, Gweneth, Toni, Jordan, Gabriella, Cindi, Barbara, Andrew, Jeffrey, Theadeen, Latoya, Christine, Murdena, Aidee, Anthony, Mitch, Jacob, Roslyn, Collin, McKenna, Andy, Errol, Emman and Bill. Please send all prayer list requests for the bulletin to the Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride, at kmcbride@stjohns-stamford.org.
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To give to St. John's Episcopal Church, you can make your donations electronically or you can simply mail in your check to the church office if you would rather not use the online giving tool. Our Parish Administrator, Kathy McBride, is receiving the mail and doing the banking as usual.
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Forward Day By Day is the Episcopal Church's own discipleship publication! As disciples, followers of Christ, daily prayer and reflection grounds us in God's love and gives us strength and clarity to confront our weaknesses, put our trust in God and listen to where God is calling us to serve. Available online for-free!
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