Seasonal Services

Lent

Ash Wednesday services are held at 6:30 a.m., noon, and 7:00 p.m.

Palm Sunday: Also known as Passion Sunday, this Sunday before Easter remembers Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem near the end of a public ministry spent almost entirely outside Israel’s capital city. When Jesus entered the city with his entourage, people laid palm branches on the road before him and greeted him as the long-awaited Messiah, shouting, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” At St. John’s, we gather before each service to bless the palms and process into the church with great celebration! Yet, by the end of the service the tone shifts and prepares us for the week to come as we read the passion narrative and later leave the church in silence. The service becomes an invitation to enter our own Jerusalem knowing that Jesus has gone before us.

Tenebrae: Latin for “shadows” is a religious service celebrated by the Western Church on the eve of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday or Holy Saturday. The liturgy of Tenebrae is characterized by the gradual extinguishing of candles, and the reading and canting of Psalms and Lamentations. After each reading, as the acolytes solemnly extinguish one candle at a time we remember the struggle of God’s people. By the end of the liturgy the only light left in the sanctuary is the Christ Candle which is then take away as Christ was taken away to be crucified. The Congregation sits together in darkness and silence until a loud sound is heard signifying the earthquake at Christ’s resurrection. The Christ Candle is then returned to the gathered congregation and the people leave in silence. Tenebrae is a meditative service that invites us to connect the struggle of God’s people with our own struggle in the context of the story of Christ’s death and resurrection.

Maundy Thursday: The Thursday before Easter recalls the night before Jesus died, when he shared a “last supper” with his friends and washed their feet as a sign of the “new commandment” (Latin: mandatum novum, hence the name “Maundy Thursday”), namely, that they “love one another.” At St. John’s, tables replace the pews and everyone gathers to enjoy bread and soup (homemade by the staff). Traditionally a lay person shares a homily, and there is opportunity for those who would like to participate in a simple foot washing ritual. This service is directly followed by the stripping of the altar (see below).

Stripping of the Altar: In some church traditions all of the altar coverings and decorations are removed after the Eucharist is served on Maundy Thursday. Since the altar in these traditions symbolize Christ, the "stripping of the altar" symbolizes the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples and the stripping of Jesus by the soldiers prior to his crucifixion. This, like the darkness often incorporated into a Good Friday service, represents the humiliation of Jesus and the consequences of sin as a preparation for the celebration of new life and hope that is to come at the resurrection. At St. John’s we treat this dramatic moment as an exile. Just as the disciples had to leave town quickly, we hurriedly consume the reserved sacraments, break down the altar, and take away all of our liturgical symbols as Psalm 22 is read. Finally, as a sign that even the church has lost its ministry, the clergy remove their collars and the reserved sacrament candle is extinguished. We leave the church in silence and close the door of the church as a liturgical act, reminding us of our exile and as an expression of solidarity of all exiled peoples of the world.

Good Friday: Friday of Holy Week has traditionally been called Good Friday or Holy Friday. On this day, the church commemorates Jesus’ arrest (since, by the Jewish custom of counting days from sundown to sundown, it was already Friday), his trial, crucifixion and suffering, death, and burial. Since services on this day are to observe Jesus’ death, and since Eucharist is a celebration, there is traditionally no Communion observed on Good Friday. At St. John’s, we gather for liturgy, special music and the procession of the cross. All are invited at the end of the service to light a candle at the foot of the cross and stay for meditation.

The Great Vigil of Easter: On Saturday evening the church gathers to discover the empty tomb. A fire is set which is used to re-light the vigil candle, extinguished at Christ’s crucifixion. At St. John’s, we gather in an empty and dark sanctuary, light the fire to burn our Lenten vows and hear the deacon sing the Exultet. We are then cast out on a journey around the church property where we stop and hear the stories of our faith, only returning to discover that Christ has been resurrected and the church has been transformed. We enter the renewed sanctuary to baptize new members and celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter.

Christmas

Blue Christmas is an event where we can, with others, acknowledge the "blue" feelings we have at Christmas time and offer them to God. At this time we experience the shortest day and the longest night of the year. This time has been called the "long dark night of the soul," "the winter of our discontent" in which memories of past experiences and the pain of present experiences can become overwhelming.

For some, Christmas Day is the most difficult: for others, Christmas Eve, or New Year’s Eve, or the beginning of another lonely New Year. In this service, we have some singing appropriate to the Christmas Season, recognizing that this is not a season of joy for everyone. We invite reflection on the pain, the loneliness, the sadness you may feel and offer that pain to the Christ Child. Our prayer is that you will find hope and comfort in knowing that you are not alone.

Christmas Eve family-oriented services are held at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. For the last 35 years, young children have been invited to participate in an interactive retelling of the Christmas story. The Youth Choirs provide special seasonal accompaniment to the services.

Christmas Eve Choral Eucharist begins at 10:00 p.m.

Baptisms

Baptisms take place four times a year: the first Sunday in Epiphany, Easter Vigil, Pentecost, and either All Saints’ Day or the Sunday after All Saints’ Day. Candidates for baptism and/or their families are invited to speak to the Rector.

Special Feast Days

Blessing of the Beasts on the first Sunday in October: worshippers are invited to bring their pets into church for special prayers. Pet care is provided by the youth during other parts of the service.

Pirate Sunday is a new tradition that is celebrated on the Sunday before Halloween and just at the 9 a.m service. Come in costume!

All Saints Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in November.