Images from Holy Week and Easter

The sound of the bells ringing as the children marched in behind the cross, their palms waving: "All glory, laud, and honor!"... The look on their faces as they receive the Sacrament for the first time... Walking in the warm almost Spring sunshine with Cindi, and Lucy tugging and tugging... Dean and Lauren home for the week... The shock of Jeff's call on Tuesday... A flurry of emails and calls and then watching the LCMS internet presence explode at the outrage (and outrage it was and is)... The long readings from the Passion accounts on Holy Tuesday and Wednesday, just losing ourselves in this eternal story... The packed Church for Maundy Thursday Eucharist, with Matt Harrison and family and Bishop Obare's son, sitting in the first pew... Dean assisting with the veneration of the Cross at Friday's main service... The silence before Tenebrae Vespers and the dying of the Light... The jubilant singing of "Rejoice, Angelic Choirs" at Vigil... Stu, John, and Dean assisting in the liturgy for that night... The confirmation of 11 more (young and old) and giving the Sacrament to those who have been waiting long to receive... FOOD!... Trumpets and organ, timpani and bells, tambourine and choir, joyful congregation celebrating the most joyous Eucharist of the entire year... Easter dinner: two plates of fried chicken, deviled eggs, mock-potato salad, mock-corn bread, biscuits and sausage gravy, cheesecake with fresh strawberries (thank you, Jo) or cherries, and vanilla cake (lo-carb, of course) and as wonderful as it was, I was having a hard time staying awake to enjoy it!... Saying goodbye to Dean and Lauren... A LONG nap...ready now for cards and a little snacking... Xristos anesti! Alithos anesti!