Easter preparation has been so enjoyable this year! Our traditional lamb kebabs and couscous for dinner last night and planning for Easter brunch with friends at The Four Seasons Club in Pembine certainly satisfies my tummy!
But mostly this year’s preparation has really satisfied my soul. Celebrating the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ should probably be done every day of the year, but setting aside just one Holy Week (from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday) makes this limited season even more precious. My guess as to why this year has been so special is because last year, Easter was co-mingled with the confusion and anxiety of the beginning of the pandemic. Someday, I’ll share my travel journal of our racing to get home from Arizona–when all our flights were cancelled and we had to drive the rental car home. It was certainly an unusual Easter 2020 and this year seems so much sweeter in comparison.
I remember growing up in Bemidji, Minnesota and attending Calvary Lutheran Church. As a teenager, I went through confirmation classes in that church with my beloved Pastor Luther Abrahamson. The season of Lent, beginning with Ash Wednesday, is a 40-day period that builds with a crescendo to the glorious Easter morning. My little Grace Baptist Church (like many evangelical churches) does not celebrate Lent or Holy Week, but this year, I have enjoyed some daily Lenten readings in An Ocean of Grace and attended Good Friday service at the small WELS Lutheran church with my dear friend, Jaime. It was mostly chanted and sung, with the candles being extinguished one by one during moments of meditation. The final candle left the sanctuary dark as we slowly left in silence. Beautiful . . . and moving. Oh, I’m very happy at my church (most mainline Lutheran churches have become far too liberal over the years and focus on the “social gospel”), but I do miss the intense focus on the passion of Christ in the days leading up to THE most important day in history!
About 10 days ago, my pastor called to see if I could do some special music for Easter service. Oh my! Such short notice and I hadn’t even thought about it. The days of our Grace Trio seem to be over, so that wasn’t an option. I thought about asking a friend to sing “Were You There,” but I didn’t have the energy to work up a duet and arrange practice times in such a short period of time–and I am getting lazy in my old age. I am certainly not a soloist (I’d much rather sing with a small group), but I believe God gave me the idea to take the song “Oh, Glorious Day” and simply read the words. That, I can do! Since the chorus has another voice on the accompaniment track, I feel okay to sing the chorus. The song is an old hymn with a jubilant tune, but the group Casting Crowns re-worked it a bit and that’s the version I will be using on Easter morning.
I’ve been practicing the timing and the singing all week. It’s amazing how just reading the words (rather than singing them) make it more meaningful for me, so I’m really thankful to be able to share it at Easter service. My sweet friend, Mari Lynn, will be reading poetry and my cousin, Laurie, will be singing a solo. I’m guessing this is going to be a beautiful celebration on Resurrection Sunday–all glory to God! And I wish all my friends and family Happy Easter (Joyeuses Pâques)–Oh, Glorious Day!
Heart to Heart 