Celebrating Pentecost

Our prayer table decked out in red!

We gathered to celebrate Pentecost in atrium last Sunday! You can learn more about Pentecost and our atrium celebration from a previous post called Pentecost Celebration. This year, I was particularly moved by the children's insights as we talked about the meaning of the different gifts and the solemn and joyful way that each child came forward to light a candle.

Thank you to all of the parents and catechists who brought food and drinks for our feast! The children loved them! Thank you also to our catechists for overseeing the feast so that I could leave early and attend my niece's Confirmation. Being there was a blessing for me!

I was busy during the celebration but caught a few photos afterward to share here.

A lovely piece of artwork made by a child in the True Vine Atrium on Sunday.

The candles, each representing a different gift of the Holy Spirit that we might desire.

The Last Supper environment with the disciples gathered
 in the Upper Room at the time of Pentecost.

The candles representing the gifts we prayed to receive from the Holy Spirit.

The Church was filled with the Holy Spirit this week! Thank you to Lynn and all the volunteers who made the Sanctuary look so lovely!

May the earth be filled with the Holy Spirit

 as we celebrate Pentecost and always!

Bibles!

I love Bible Presentation day! Each year we give our first graders (and those who are older and are new to atrium) a Bible of their own. The children use their Bibles year after year in the atrium - looking up passages and marking favorite texts. You can read more about this tradition, and how it makes sense developmentally and in light of our work in atrium in the post First Grade Bible Presentation. Here are a few more pictures from our presentation this year for you to enjoy.

Celebrating Easter

We celebrated Easter in the atrium with the Liturgy of Light on Sunday. It was a great morning! I wish I had pictures of the celebration itself, but I was too busy to pick up the camera. Instead I have some photos from our feast afterward. Thank you so much parents for donating food and drinks. The children really do enjoy eating together.

You can read more about the Liturgy of Light celebration, which in based on the Easter Vigil service, in this previous post.

Remember - the season of Easter is 50 days! We have until Pentecost (May 19th) to live in the joy of the Resurrection. What ideas do you have for keeping Easter in your family life? It can be as simple as lighting a white candle at meals or saying a special prayer together before bed time. 

Easter is a great season in the atrium. We can't wait to see your children on Sunday mornings!

 

Happy Easter!

Making Connections: Holy Week

On Palm Sunday, our last atrium gathering before Easter, I walked through the City of Jerusalem work with our first through third graders. This is a work most have seen before, some of them many times, and a new work for a few. Unlike many presentations which are offered to small groups, we did this work all together, quietly walking through the last days of Jesus' life, his death and resurrection, using the map of the City of Jerusalem as a touch point.

I've presented this work in this manner for the last few Palm Sundays and I am always moved by the peaceful, serious manner the children bring to it. This year, thoughtful comments and questions peppered the presentation, and the group moved through the work slowly and deliberately.

When we were finished I invited any additional thoughts the children would like to share. No one offered anything and I encouraged them to continue to ponder the work in atrium and in the days ahead. Several children asked to put the work back together and the others returned to other parts of the atrium to finish their own work.

I sat by as two children put the pieces back where they belonged on the topography map. One of the two is a first grader, and I watched as he gently and silently replaced on of the wooden pieces. Then softly, as if he breathed the words, I heard him say "Thank you, Jesus."

Butterflies, continued!

My last post included many photos of the Church decorated with butterflies. I forgot the most important picture - the only one I have of the crew setting up the spectacle! Here it is - a photo of Will and Katie busy creating our butterfly Easter. Thanks again to both of them, and to Mimi, Anne, Chris and Callie for their help on Holy Saturday!

Butterflies!

Our butterflies were a big hit this Easter! Many thanks to Will, Katie, Mimi, Anne, Callie, and Chris who helped to hang our decorations for Easter on Holy Saturday. It was a big job on a busy day and I really appreciated it! Thank you also to the many parishioners who cut out over a hundred butterflies for our Easter celebration this year.

Butterflies over the congregation.

Holy Week and Easter at Christ Church

Palm Sunday processional cross.

It was a wonderful Holy Week and Easter at Christ Church this year! The older I get the more I look forward to appreciate each of the Holy Week services and I think the Easter Vigil is my favorite service of the year. I wanted to post some pictures from our week. Unfortunately, I don't have photos of every service, but am including what I do have for you to enjoy!

Monday Sung Compline.

The altar for Sung Compline.

Foot washing from the Maundy Thursday Service for families.

More foot washing.

Good Friday altar.

Good Friday cross.

First fire of Easter at the Easter Vigil.

Lighting the paschal candle for the Easter Vigil procession.

Baptism at the Easter Vigil.

Easter Day with butterflies!

Baptismal font and paschal candle at Easter.

The Easter Egg Hunt after Church.

Visiting with the Easter Bunny at the Egg Hunt.

Having fun with the Easter Bunny!

Thank you to everyone who helped to make our Holy Week and Easter services possible, and to everyone who attended!