Full of Delights

by Jason Byassee

Jason Byassee

Folks sometimes commiserate with me around Easter or Christmas: “You must be really busy.” I’m tempted to respond, “I’d pay y’all to do this.” Don’t tell the Staff-Parish Relations Committee. . . Worship is the reason we preachers get into this work. So the weeks to come are full of delights.

First, Holy Week. We’ll kick off this Palm Sunday with a big and thumpy processional led by Cassie the Haas family . . . donkey. We’ll receive new members at the sanctuary services and fete them with a reception in the chapel between services. Then the service will take a turn from Palm to Passion Sunday as we read the narrative of Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, suffering, and death. We’ll leave in quiet.

Then Holy Week will see a Footwashing service on Wednesday night, April 1, at 7 pm, at which I will preach and which the Revs. Vern Collins and Laura Beach will help me lead. We pastors will wash your feet (or hands if you prefer). Our choir and musicians will lead some gorgeous music. I really beg you to come to this, odd as it may seem, as part of your week of following Jesus to his cross. Thursday, April 2, at 7 pm we will have our traditional Maundy Thursday reenactment with communion and stripping of the altar following. Friday, April 3, at 7 pm we will have a Seven Last Words service with our pastoral staff preaching (Jeff, Vern, Colette, Laura, Patti, Luke). Each will have 3 minutes with which to wonder at the mystery of Christ’s saving work by attending to one of his sayings from his cross. Our choir and congregation will sing some of our greatest songs and we will conclude with Tenebrae and a haunting sounding of 33 bells to remember each year of Christ’s life.

As Christ explodes from his tomb on Sunday, our church will explode into worship on Easter, April 5th. We will worship as usual in our sanctuary and Crossroads services, plus a 6:30 am sunrise service that will begin in our courtyard around a fire and will include song by Abby Bryant (if you heard her in our sanctuary services last week, you know you’ll be amazed).

The point of Holy Week is to walk with Jesus to his cross, on the way to be astounded by him again at his resurrection.

The week to follow is sometimes called Low Sunday in the church–the pews are more empty, the ministers are away too. I love those Sundays–they show the “reward” for worship on a big festival day is . . . more worship, with less spectacle. But will there ever be spectacle on April 11-12! We will have our Mission Celebration weekend highlighted by preaching from Leighton Ford on Saturday night April 11 at 6:30 pm and in one combined service on April 12 at 11:00 am. Leighton is one of the most significant evangelists of the 20th and now 21st centuries. He worked alongside his brother-in-law Billy Graham for years. He led the Lausanne movement for world evangelization, and recently has devoted his time in his 80’s to mentoring younger leaders. He’s still the best preacher I’ve ever heard. We will celebrate our time together Sunday with a meal put on by our Family Life Committee (thank you Tamera Holshouser and Sarah Strickland!). The Saturday evening service on April 11, will include song led by the local blue grass and Americana group Battle Victorious.

In advance of April 11-12 we’d like you to be in prayer about how our church serves in mission here and around the world. We raise some $70,000 a year via Faith Promise with which we bless mission work near and far. This is money we commit on faith to God. If God provides, we give. If God doesn’t, we don’t. We are convinced that the more we step out in faith in our promise to give the more God blesses us, as a church and individually. Please consider how you might partner with God’s redeeming work in the world as we hear from one of God’s great partners in recent decades in Leighton.

So much to look forward to. What a gift to be the church together in this town. Lent’s “bright sadness” is nearly over. We’re about ready to say, “Christ is . . .”.