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March 27, 2026
Beloved of Grace,
I was on the Rivertowns dispatch podcast this week talking about Grace Church and Holy Week. Listen HERE and share with your friends.
Feeling heavy this week? This reflection from a couple of weeks ago was good for my soul. Perhaps it will be for you too?
Saturday, March 28th: No Kings March: 12:00 pm people will assemble at VFW Plaza in Hastings and rally songs from the Singing Resistance Songbook. See below for more information.
Welcome to Holy week! I know some will be out of town for spring break, but not all of us. Please join us for the mysteries of Holy Week.
Sunday, March 29th: Palm Sunday: 10 am in person service of Palm Sunday and Jesus' passion (note, one service only this Sunday). We both remember Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, waving palms and singing songs (kids love this service! If you are in town, please come). We also hear the story of Jesus' death for those who are not able to make it to mid-week services.
Thursday, April 2nd: Maundy Thursday: 7pm. Join us to remember Jesus' last supper with his disciples, and to welcome Deacon Anthony back from his time away! There is something for everyone at this service. We will remember Jesus' act of service in washing the disciples feet. Footwashing is something we refer to in our family as "challenge by choice": you get to choose the level of participation you will do that evening. If you want to have your feet washed, great. If you want to wash others' feet, great. If you want to keep your shoes on and pray, great. Your challenge, your choice. We have communion together, remembering that Jesus invites us to his table as a friend. The service ends with the moving practice of removing sacred items from the church to remind us of Jesus' dark night praying in the garden of Gethsemane, leading to the starkness of Good Friday and the death of Jesus. The children are excited to help with the removal of sacred items from the church, so please join us.
Friday, April 3rd: Good Friday: Noon. We hear the story of Jesus' death during the hour at which he hung on the cross. We sit with Jesus as witnesses to his death. We pray. We participate in a practice called "adoration of the cross". When we adore the cross, we pray, reflect, and mediate. Our cross for this service was made for us by parishioner Sal Schiciano. The cross is entirely constructed of old, broken pews from here at Grace Church. Jesus took the hard wood of the cross and transformed it from an image of torture to an image of resurrection, and following his example, we too have taken old, forgotten wood, and restored it to a place of honor and adoration, deeping our own spiritual practices and connection to Jesus.
If you are able to join Elizabeth Galletta on the Good Friday Walk in NYC, details are below.
Saturday, April 4th: 11 am: Parish Clean up and preparation for Easter. Please come join us to beautiful Grace Church and campus as we prepare for Easter. Great service project, and we'll have tasks for all ages.
Sunday, April 5th: EASTER. Join us!
9 am: Easter worship particularly aimed at children and families, with Easter Egg Hunt immediately following the service.
10 am: Easter Egg Hunt (come to 9 am worship if you intended to attend- the whole Egg Hunt lasts about 3 minutes)
10 am: Easter Brunch in the parish hall. Sign up HERE to bring something to share.
11 am: Easter worship with choir and festive music-- come sing with us.
I hope to see you as we walk the way of the cross together during Holy Week.
Faithfully,
Lauren
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