Dear People of Our Lord's
Resurrection,
It was a glorious, joyous, blessed
Easter Sunday at First trinity Church. Our
Facebook page profile photo is the chancel dressed for Easter.
Many thanks to all our staff and volunteers who do such great
work at Holynew week, Easter and throughout the
year. It was encouraging to see so many visitors and
guests ( from the local colleges, from the community and
our members' families) at worship with us. This was the
best attended Easter Divine Service in several years.
The Church Office will be open
Easter Monday, April 1, from 9 am until 12 noon.
The Elders will meet Tuesday, April
2 at 12 noon.
The Children's Sunday School will
meet on Sunday, April 7; the Adult class and the
Confirmation Class will not meet that day. The Discussion
Group will meet again on April 24
A Minister's Musings: There's an
old story about someone who sued the state saying there
were many Christian holidays recognized by the
government but no atheists' holidays. The judge ruled
there was indeed an atheist holiday, April 1, April
Fools' Day, citing Psalm 14:1, "The fool says in his
heart, 'There is no God...'"
Flowers for Worship: Weren't the Easter
lilies beautiful? Many weeks there are flowers in our
chancel. One “green-thumbed” member is especially good about
bringing flowers to church from her legendary garden. Is there a
theology of flowers? Not really. It is what we Lutherans
call an
adiaphoron, a matter indifferent to our
salvation. However, everything we do regarding worship has
meaning. God is worthy of being worshipped in beauty and
truth. Flowers beautify our worship space. As with all
the items we use in worship (furniture, vessels, artwork, etc.),
they should be of the best quality we can afford.
Traditionally, we use fresh cut flowers. They can be seen to
represent Christ’s sacrifice. Real flowers, not artificial,
are preferred for that reason. Some churches use green plants to
symbolize God’s permanence. Flowers may be omitted from the
chancel during Lent; another practice is to use thorny plants and
vines, or cacti during that season. There is a signup sheet
for those who would like to provide flowers for worship. It
is on the bulletin board across from the church office door.
We ask that the donors select the flowers and purchase them
themselves. These could be in the liturgical color of the
season or day. The flowers do not need to be expensive or
bought from a particular florist: any florist, the local
supermarkets, your own garden, or wherever flowers can be found
are all good options. Thank you for helping to make our
worship space beautiful.
