Hello there!

I was super busy this morning and then the usual Monday email went out of my head. So, here it is…better late than never…(and much shorter than usual)…

Tonight is our final Lenten Bible Study on Zoom…It starts at 7pm so I’ll see you soon. Same link as always…

Holy Trinity, SSM is having a Tenebrae (Office of Shadows) service this Wednesday at 7pm. If you’d like to experience it, come on out…

The Great Vigil is this Saturday, Apr.19 at St. Luke’s Cathedral, beginning at 7pm. 

A Liturgical Note For You:

You’ll be seeing red this week.  Why red? This week you will see red hangings and altar covers in your church buildings – and in the vestments worn by your presider and servers (but not Lay Readers). Here is what “red” indicates as a colour used in traditional icons:

Red: This is the color of heat, passion, love, life and life-giving energy, and for this very reason red became the symbol of the resurrection – the victory of life over death. The Anglican Church also associates red with the Holy Spirit as “the Lord, the giver of life.”  But at the same time, it is the color of blood and torments, and the color of Christ’s sacrifice. Martyrs (like Stephen) are depicted in red clothing on icons.  

We are now in Holy Week: There are never any calendar observances of other prominent Christian persons or days during Holy Week since the sole focus is on Jesus’ journey to the cross and his resurrection.  It is during this week that we gain the cross as our particularly poignant Christian symbol and have instituted for us, by Jesus, our central act of Christian unity with each other and with God – the Eucharist that we share in lives of humble service. Jesus showed us how to be the servants of all when he, the Master, washed the feet of his disciples. 

For a very brief rundown of the origins of Holy Week along with the importance of Easter, check out p.296 of the BAS: The Book of Alternative Services of the Anglican Church of Canada (rackcdn.com)

In the hope of Christ,

Susan