Monday, April 18

Peter DuBois
Director of Music/Organist

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever; And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.
Stanza 3 of Hymn 98, “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”,
Paul Gerhardt, from a text attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

This is the week when the familiar, and difficult, words of scripture surrounding Christ’s sacrifice become personal for each of us. As we move through Holy Week, and hear the readings on Thursday and Friday of the last supper; the garden at Gethsemane; the betrayal; the trial; and the suffering, it is difficult not to feel the weight of the cross and all that it symbolizes. At the same time, we cannot fully celebrate the joy and wonder of Easter without first making the treacherous and intimidating journey through Holy Week.

Creator God, help us to enter into the full experience of Holy Week, that we might consider in our own lives the importance of Christ’s sacrifice for us, and celebrate with renewed joy the glorious Resurrection on Easter Day. Amen.