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by Heather Green
Everywhere you look at Christ Lutheran, there is evidence that the Easter season is in full swing. From the Thursday morning and evening Lenten services with Holy Communion, the preparations by the Sunday School children for their Easter performance, and the rehearsals of the choirs and orchestras, to the donations of candy for the Easter Eggstravaganza and the sign-up opportunities for ordering lilies to decorate the sanctuary on Easter Sunday, there are so many fun and unique Easter traditions at Christ Lutheran.
The Easter season officially kicks off with Lent, and Ash Wednesday. If you haven’t already attended one of the Thursday Lenten services (11:00am or 7:00pm), you really should consider going. Each week this year is a recurring theme of The Beatitudes beautifully brought to life by a dialogue between Pastor Ray and one of the Lectors from the congregation.
We don’t have an Easter Egg hunt at Christ Lutheran – instead we have the Easter Eggstravaganza. Held every year on the Saturday before Palm Sunday, the event is open to the public. The event opens with music by Sweetwine, a singing group from Valparaiso, followed by a Christian themed puppet show. Children are then led to the back lawn of the church where they run around and pick up some of the 8,000+ eggs scattered over the grass. Before they begin collecting eggs, children are told how many they can get so there are no fights and everyone gets an equal share. After they have collected all their eggs, the children (and parents) come back inside where they can have cookies, jui
ce, and other snacks. This year’s Easter Eggstravaganza will be held on Saturday, April 13th at 10:30am.
Palm Sunday, April 14th, marks the start of Holy Week at Christ Lutheran. We have three services on Palm Sunday (8:00am, 9:30am, and 11:00am) all with Holy Communion, that will be filled with music from our Joy and Praise and youth choirs, which are scheduled to sing at all services. The Thursday Lenten services switch focus to Maundy Thursday, with the 7:00pm service concluding with laying bare the altar. Good Friday offers the “Tenebrae: Seven Last Words of Christ” service at 11:00am, and the “Tenebrae: Portraits in Grace” service at 7:00pm. (Please note there will not be a Saturday evening service during Holy Week).
Easter Sunday begins early at Christ Lutheran, literally. The Sunrise service takes place at 6:30am, followed by an Easter Breakfast which is hosted by the youth of the congregation. The next two services, the “Family Easter” service is at 9:00 and the “Festival” service is at 11:00am. All the Easter Sunday services will offer a plethora of music and Holy Communion.
If you have any questions about any of these services or events, please contact the Church office.