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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Sunday, April 4,2004
CROM ARTIE from 1B
Gethsemane where he entered
into a dark time of agony and
temptation. The arrest of Jesus
takes place in that garden and
he is lead off for trial, torture,
crucifixion and death on what
we call Good Friday.
Worship services which
remember this night are held
in many churches and are
called by various names:
Maundy Thursday, Holy
Thursday, the Last Supper, the
service of foot washing, and
Tenebrae or “shadows.” It is
hard to capture all elements of
this precious night in one wor
ship service, so churches have
to choose which parts of the
night to remember so these
services will vary in their con
tent and focus.
Maundy Thursday gets its
name from these related terms
the old French word mande
which comes from the Latin
mandatum novum, meaning
a new commandment. This
new commandment is from
John Gospel, John 13:34 “1
give you a new command
ment, that you love on anoth
er. Just as I have loved you,
you also should love one
another."
This meaning is illustrated
in John's Gospel by Jesus tak
ing a towel and basin of water
and washing the feet of his
disciples, reminding them
that a disciple is first and fore
most a servant. His washing of
their feet is a powerful symbol
of this truth which remains at
the heart of what it means to
be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
NORRIS from IB
say aloud. "Hosanna to the
son of David. Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the
Lord." and in so doing we give
thanks anew for God coming
among us in Jesus, for his giv
ing himself up for us as atone
ment for our sins so that we
might be saved.
What we do on this day is
really described in the prayer
that begins the blessing of the
palms: "Dear friends in
Christ, during Lent we have
been preparing by works of
love and self-sacrifice for the
celebration of our Lord’s
death and resurrection. Today
we come together to begin this
solemn celebration in union
with the church throughout
the world.
"Christ enters his own city
to complete his work as our
Savior, to suffer, to die, and to
rise again. Let us go with him
in faith and love, so that, unit
ed with him in his sufferings,
we may share his risen life."
Palm Sunday in a most special
way connects us with Jesus'
story and makes us ready with
freshness, zeal, and fervor to
celebrate Easter.
Palm branches have long
been symbols of victory. The
Romans first used palm
branches as gifts to soldiers
returning victorious from mili
tary battles. The Jewish people
SI I St. Columba's Episcopal Church
\| / at John's Creek
Me gave a rifetimefor you...
HCan
you
spare
a
week?
Join St. Columba's Episcopal Church as we celebrate
the most sacred time of the year
Palm Sunday April 4,11:00 a.m. Blessing and procession of palms
Maundy Thursday April 8,7:30 p.m. A quiet and moving liturgy
Good Friday April 9,12:00 noon The Good Friday liturgy
Easter Sunday April 11,11:00 a.m. Festive Worship Services
Easter Egg Hunt at 10:00 a.m.,
Parish Reception 12:00 p.m. with brass quartet and soloists
Temporarily Worshiping at South Forsyth Middle School at the comer of
Old Atlanta and Sharon Roads
770-888-4464 www.salntcolumba.not
Some churches will have a
foot washing service as a part
of their Maundy Thursday
service, washing the feet of
one or more persons as repre
sentatives of the congregation
or sometimes even washing
the feet of all participants.
Maundy Thursday is also
the Last Supper. On this night
Jesus gathered with his disci
ples in an upper room, break
ing bread with them, and shar
ing the cup of wine. He
reminds them that in the
future when they gather to
break the bread and drink
from the cup, he will be with
them and with those who fol
low in their footsteps through
the centuries. This re-enact
ment of the Last Supper
becomes in the church Holy
Communion, the Eucharist,
the Lord's Supper, but on this
night it is appropriate to cele
brate it as the Last Supper.
For this is the last meal that
Jesus will eat with his disci
ples before His resurrection.
Churches disagree about the
"how" of Christ’s presence in
the breaking of the bread and
the sharing of the cup, but all
of them agree on the impor
tance of this Sacrament to the
Christian life.
In the Synoptic Gospels
(Matthew, Mark and Luke)
this meal is a Passover meal, a
part of the Passover celebra
tion (a celebration of the deliv
erance of the Hebrew people
from slavery and bondage in
Egypt). The Gospel of John
has a slightly different sense of
used them as well carrying
them on their festive occa
sions. So it was a natural
thing to do when Jesus entered
the city of Jerusalem. Later
palm branches became associ
ated with the victory over
death. Many images of the
early Christian martyrs show
them holding palm branches
in their hands. Today many
churches fold palm branches
into crosses as a symbol of our
ultimate victory over death
made possible by Jesus.
The liturgy and waving of
palm branches we do on Palm
Sunday sits alongside of our
reading of the Passion. We
enter Jerusalem with Jesus
waiving our branches of palm
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the timing of these events. For
in John’s Gospel, the Passover
does not actually start until
Jesus dies on the cross. In
John’s Gospel Jesus is the
"Lamb of God who takest
away the sins of the world” so
he literally is the Passover
lamb and the timing of his
death to coincide with the
slaughter of the lambs for the
Passover feast further empha
sizes this point which is so
important in the Gospel of
John,
Finally in many churches
there will also be a Tenebrae
service, which involves acting
out in worship the movement
from the Last Supper to
Gethsemane leading to His
suffering and death on the
cross. In this service the dark
ening shadows of the Passion
of Jesus are symbolized by the
stripping of all the liturgical
elements from the Altar area
with a draping of the cross in
black.
The service ends in dark
ness to symbolize the darkness
of Gethsemane and of for
sakenness of Jesus dying on
the cross for the sins of the
world.
Maundy Thursday begins
the Passion. 1 hope we will all
find a church which offers this
service this Thursday and par
ticipate as we prepare our
selves for this part of our jour
ney. It is a difficult but pre
cious part of the journey to
the cross which must be faced
before the fullness of resurrec
tion can take place.
and then we hear the story of
his crucifixion. Thus the
palms truly become for us
symbols of our own victory
over death made possible by
Jesus.
Palm Sunday begins the
week we now call Holy. It is a
week marked by many sym
bols of the Passion of Jesus. It
is a week in which we walk
side by side with Jesus
through the Last Supper, the
agony of the garden, the
crowds who change their
chant from “Hosanna" to
"Crucify," the suffering of the
cross, and finally to the empty
tomb of Easter. It is a most
holy week to be sure, and the
palms lead our way.
Chocolatm • (Jffts
/ Some Bunny \
/ To A Delectable \
/ Treat From \
( Cumming’s \
Sweet Shop!
Lots of Goodies
\\ For Easter j'
xa Hopln ’ J'
203A East Main St.. Cumming
•Free parking in parking garage next door
770-205-8515
M-W 11-5 Th-Fr 11-530 Sat 11-5:30
About our contributors
jk_. ‘k I
ADAMS from IB
losing lottery tickets. You can't
help but drift off into fantasy
land wondering what car you
will buy first, or how your par
ents will react when you give
them that check for millions of
dollars. At first you can see
how your life can change in the
matter of a moment, then you
realize just how far all that
money could go ...
Reality slaps you back as
you realize the numbers aren’t
matching up. This can’t be!
Everything you own. or did
own, just disappeared in front
of you. Gone. How can life be
so cruel? You’re so numb that
you literally are in a daze for
two days. It’s over, it’s really
over. How could 1 have been so
stupid!
Then Sunday comes. You
begin the process of cleaning
up the mess from Friday night
and then you see it. One ticket
6 here's toour .
6 administrative i
X professionals
te?7 I \ I.ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS DAY,
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Father Tripp
Norris is pastor
of St.
Columba’s
Episcopal
Church, which
currently meets
each Sunday at
South Forsyth
Middle School.
The Rev. Dr.
William L.
“Bill” Self is
pastor of Johns
Creek Baptist
Church on
McGinnis
Ferry Road in
the Johns
Creek
Technology
Park
had fallen under the table.
Shattered dreams steal our
hope. You pick up the ticket
and stare at it. Just a reminder
of the failure you’ve made with
your life. What life?
You remember the numbers
and begin seeing them jump
out at you from the ticket. At
first it's shock, then it quickly
turns into the greatest moment
of your life. As soon as you
realize that your life has
changed, you quickly make up
your mind as to whom you'll
share your great news first.
Then the circle grows. The
prize is large enough to change
your entire world, that is. if that
is what you decide to do.
When the women came to
the tomb where Jesus' body had
been laid, all hope was dead.
So many people had given
everything to follow Jesus only
to see it nailed upon a cross.
If
Q
Ik 7
But Sunday morning changed
everything! An empty grave
brought hope back into the
world. The five words spoken
by Mary Magdalene in John
20:18 are better than any five
winning lottery numbers, “I
have seen the Lord!"
Easter morning, for me, is
the greatest feeling in the
world. It reminds me first of
God’s great love for me and
also God's love for this world.
All of this world. I became a
follower of the Risen Savior 25
years ago this June. I guess I’m
still in a bit of wonder-shock
that God would do something
so incredibly risky for me.
Easter Sunday is a day to say,
“Thank you God" and to begin
again a life that reflects that
humble gratitude. Choosing to
receive my Easter prize is by
far the best decision I have ever
made. How about you?
The Rev. John
Cromartie is
pastor of
Cumming First
United
Methodist
Church on
Canton
Highway
The Rev. Dr.
Natalie
Adams is pas
tor of
Banister
Creek
Church,
which meets
each Sunday
at Liberty
Middle
School