It's Holy Week for everyone but me...OK it's still Holy Week for me, but it's a little tricky. I will be working most likely all day Thursday- Saturday, from morning until night. And this has happened in the past, but this time I felt lucky because I was able to take part in a holy week celebration this past weekend, all day on Friday... For Worship class we had an all day Paschal Retreat. We had Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and an Easter Vigil. They were all excellent and non-stop, real services. I had such a fun day, hanging with my classmates as we put on all three services, with help from Ben Stewart our professor and Dean of our Chapel, and Dan Schwandt Cantor to LSTC, and Chad McKenna, Sacristan. They made sure that we had the majors like sermons, music, and all the spaces were ready and dressed correctly. We also were able to go across the street to Augustana Church, which gave an alternate experience, being so used to worshiping in the Augustana Chapel, which is on LSTC's campus. Augustana Church was a darker less open building, with a much stronger and contemplative feel. We took communion twice, we stripped the altar at our Thursday celebration, and we even sang Hallelujah at our Vigil. I thought I was in opposition to this experience of burying the Hallelujah during Lent, but I must admit when we started singing it, I got really excited and kinda realized the awesomeness of the experience. I still have my reservations, but understand it a whole lot more. The whole experience was real and also helped a lot of us to see these services in a new way, and with new understandings. For some it was a first time, since a lot of people admitted that their churches no longer do some or all of these services, and only do Easter, which is sad and scary considering how amazing and diverse they are. Needless to say I had a Good Friday... he he, a little church humor, but it was great and has made the missing of this week's celebrations lots easier to handle.
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