by Joshua Judd-Herzfeldt

Well, we did it. We made it through another Holy Week at Holy Trinity. And what a time it was! We welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem by vigorously and joyously waving our palms as we sang and celebrated on Palm Sunday. We listened to not one but two powerful accounts of Jesus' final moments--Mark's passion account on Palm Sunday and John's on Good Friday--read dramatically by passionate readers and serving as a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice. We washed each other's feet, remembering that we are called to be servants to one another, even in the face of death. We gave thanks for the glory of the cross, meditating on the mystery of the intersection between death and life which is felt so viscerally as we give ourselves up at the foot of that same cross. We continued to ponder this juxtaposition as we moved from darkness into light during the Easter Vigil, kicking off the Easter celebration with Alleluias, baptism, and joyous praise. The celebration continued through the night and into the morning where we--with Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome--encountered the empty tomb, only to flee in terror and amazement.

The raw emotion of any one of these events is powerful enough, but when experienced together, this Holy Week can be overwhelming. Do not dismay! You should feel overwhelmed. Indeed, this is the central story of our church life. All that has happened since last Advent and all that will happen until the next revolves around these days. Don't feel that you have to be able to explain or unpack the past week, but rather revel in the mystery, take solace in the fact that we are all in this together. Soak in the experience of it all, remember the feelings and emotions. There is time to reflect as we move through the church year, but for now, hold on to the raw power of these Three Days and let that be the basis for the rest of the year.

Easter may seem like the pinnacle of our church year, and in some ways it is. But rather than think of it as an end or goal, consider it a beginning. It is the basis of all that we do and teach, the source of joy and excitement throughout the year. Remember well these experiences and be energized each and every day by the power of God's mysterious grace.

Send a note to Josh with your comments or reflections!

NEXT SUNDAY

April 15 - Second Sunday of Easter
The Fifty Days of Easter Continue! 

April 15 Schedule:

• 8:30 a.m. - Simple Eucharist (about 45 minutes)
• NO CHOIR
• 9:00 a.m. - New Member Orientation (St. Mark's Room)
• 9:30 a.m. - Sunday School and Sunday Forum (below)
• 10:30 a.m. - Sung Eucharist
• 11:45 a.m. - New Member Orientation (Passavant Hall)
• 11:45 a.m. - Shawl Ministry Meeting (Choir Room)
• 11:45 a.m. - Seminarian Committee Meeting (St. Mark's Room)

Sunday Forum - Art of the Resurrection

9:30 a.m. - Passavant Hall
During this Eastertide we have heard the witnesses and tasted the bread and wine of Christ's victory over death. But how have people through the ages seen the Resurrection? Join us on this brief tour as we explore the vision and the theology behind some of the most famous depictions of the Resurrection in the visual arts. Led by Joel Cruz.

Weekly readings 

Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, with joy we celebrate the day of our Lord's resurrection. By the grace of Christ among us, enable us to show the power of the resurrection in all that we say and do, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

President
Meggen Saka

Vice-President
Kelley Bender

Secretary
Megan Whitaker

Treasurer
Steve Hopwood

Outreach
Kristi Harreld, Sarah Hanson

Social Ministry
Ken Duckmann

Finance
Don Marsh

Property
John Flowers, Leon Stevens

Spiritual Life
Megan Eichhorn

Worship
Johanna Olson

Many Thanks to All Who Helped with Holy Week and Easter Services:

+ our sacristans who helped coordinate dozens of details for each liturgy: Joel Cruz, Kerry Tupper, Andrew Walter, Kyle Severson, and Ken Duckmann;
+ all who served as assisting ministers, crucifers, readers, torchbearers, ushers, communion assistants, thurifers, dancer, banner bearers, bread bakers, and altar preparation;
+ Passion readers from Palm Sunday (Aana Vigen, Kyle Severson, Erika Robeck, Barbara Wahler, David Mertens, Dee Downing) and Good Friday (Meggen Saka, Josh Judd-Herzfeldt, Ben Adams, Chris Brown)
+ our Minister of Music, David Brackley, members of the choir, cantors, brass and strings for their inspiring and moving music;
+ the committee that planned, coordinated and served at the Easter Vigil reception--Kara Grimme, Karol Weigelt and Rich Campbell;
+ special thanks, also, to Rich Campbell for donating the champagne and coordinating the brunch for musicians and participants on Easter morning!
+ those who brought food for the Vigil reception;
+ all who sponsored Easter flowers
+ all who polished silver and brass, assembled bulletins, scrubbed, cleaned, vacuumed, steamed and helped with other tasks last Wednesday;
+ those who assisted with the Easter party and egg hunt on Saturday;
+ Richard Bough for his wonderful Stations of the Cross;
+ those who helped obtain, fill, and dress the large tank used for adult immersion baptism;
+ Josh Judd-Herzfeldt for his faithful work with dozens and dozens of tasks this past week;
+ Pastor Sevig and Pastor Mueller for their homilies, leadership, and coordination;
+ and for the presence and support of the community that gathered faithfully to celebrate the mystery of dying and rising with Christ. 

Tonight, 6:00 p.m. Contemplative Eucharist
Come for some peace and quiet. Bask in resurrection joy in our beautifully decorated sanctuary! 

New Oven at Holy Trinity 

A big thanks to those who have already donated--we are almost there! To support the meal making ministries at Holy Trinity, donations are welcome to help with the cost of the new oven. You can give online or write a check with "oven" noted on it.

Next Dream Group meeting will be April 19 from 9:15 - 10:45 a.m. in St. Mark's room. With questions, contact Karol Weigelt.

Daytimers in April

Daytimers will meet in the choir room for lunch and conversation on Thursday, April 19th around 11:30 a.m. Anyone free during the day is welcome to join.

Shawls... "wrap, unfold, comfort, cover, give solace, mother, hug, shelter and beautify"

Holy Trinity's newly formed Shawl Ministry has held its first meeting and we have many hands busily creating knitted or crocheted shawls. Our next meeting will be held on April 15th after the 10:30 service in the choir room where we will bring our creativity and our united prayer of blessing to any completed shawls. We will then send out our woven prayers to people who may need solace or comfort in a time of physical or emotional need or in the midst of a time of celebration. Please let any of our members (Patrice Macken is the coordinator), Craig, Michelle, or Josh know about any family or friend who may need the "unconditional embrace of a sheltering, mothering God." And please join us as we range from novice to very talented knitters and crocheters.

Exciting Events on Sunday, April 29:

9:20 a.m. - food4thought
"Advocating for a Slow-Down Movement" -- with Rev. Joan Beck, Director of Spiritual Formation and Pastor to the Community at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Join us for a light breakfast and conversation. Pastor Beck will also be our preacher at both services on April 29. 

3:00 p.m. - Doug Williams Organ Recital

(Click for larger image)

Mark your calendars for three important dates in 2012:

--June 3: Holy Trinity Sunday picnic/block party
--June 8: Game Night Fundraiser
--December 2: Christkindl Market

...and find answers to three questions you may have:

1. WHAT are these events? June 3rd is Holy Trinity Sunday, so we'll celebrate with a water-themed block party. June 8th's game night and Dec 2nd's Christkindl Market will be our major fundraising events for 2012.
2. WHY are we having these events? Our annual summer picnic space is limited, so we're eager to take the party to the street--literally. As for our two major fundraisers, we're building on the momentum from last year's events as well as starting with seed funding in this area of the budget--an improvement over 2011! We continue to look for ways to reach out to the community and engage with intention as we work to raise money to support local benevolence at these events.
3. HOW can I be a part of these events? We're looking for people who can help with these events in the coming months! For info about the picnic/block party, contact Pastor Michelle or Megan Eichhorn. For info about Game Night, contact Kristi Harreld or Meggen Saka. Finally, anyone with an interest in making crafts, food, or otherwise helping with Christkindl Market, contact Sarah Hanson or Erika Robeck

• Join us for the April 12th council meeting. The meeting will begin at 7:15 p.m. in Passavant Hall. All are welcome.
• Do you have a great idea for fellowship? Let us know, and we will help you advertise it to other Holy Trinity members.
• Read the minutes from March's council meeting

Holy Week Attendance 

Palm/Passion Sunday: 8:30 - 32; 10:30 - 190
Maundy Thursday: 50
Good Friday: 80
Easter Vigil: 166
Easter Day: 9:00 - 193; 11:00 - 166

Special Congregational Meeting - April 22nd

Mark your calendars for a special congregational meeting following the 10:30 a.m. service. During this meeting members will be voting on amendments to the constitution, the allocation of money between the Mission Endowment Fund, Expansive Faith capital campaign loan, and a proposed Operating, Capital, and Opportunity Reserve.

Use the following links to access resources for the upcoming special congregational meeting:

--Amendments to the Constitution (amendments are highlighted)
--Reserve Initiative FAQs
--Reserve PowerPoint (presented at March 4th's forum)

Analyzing and Understanding Systemic Racism Workshop

This 2.5 day workshop will help you understand and analyze racism in our Church and society. Join us for an exploration of:
--The definition of systemic racism;
--The three manifestations of racism--individual, institutional, and cultural, and their effects on both communities of color and white communities;
--The issue of racism and the task of dismantling racism from spiritual, ethical, political and social perspectives, with the goal of equipping people to combat racism within their institutions and in the larger society.

April 26-28, 2012 - LUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AT CHICAGO, 1100 EAST 55TH STREET, CHICAGO, IL 60615

This workshop is conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect, caring and safety, and is not based on confrontation, guilt and judgment. Anyone who has an interest in developing a deeper understanding of racism and its impacts on our church and society is invited to attend. PARTICIPANTS MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE - $35 PER PERSON (ELCA), $105 (Non-ELCA) Cost includes lunch, course notebook and workshop materials. See Barbara Wahler or Ken Duckmann for more information.

Taizé Gathering for Young Adults - 'Pilgrimage of Trust'

May 25 to 28, 2012 (Memorial Day Weekend)at DePaul University in Chicago. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 from all over the United States and Canada will take part.  For more information about the Pilgrimage of Trust please take a look at this site. Here you will find many resources explaining what the Pilgrimage of Trust is, as well as a provisional program for the Memorial Day weekend, and a short video promoting the event. 

Food, Faith, and Sustainability

Do you have a desire to know where your food comes from and the effect it has on creation? What does the Eucharist have to do with food sharing? Why do some neighborhoods have access to foods that others do not? Come chew over these questions and others as we explore the intersections between food, faith, and sustainability.

We will gather at 6:30 on Tuesday evenings at Inspiration Kitchens-Uptown (4715 N. Sheridan Rd.) and share a meal (prepared together) and discussion. To help guide our discussion we will be reading Just Eating. With questions, contact Anna and Matthew Petersen (ampete09@att.net)

"Team Trinity" Volunteer Opportunities

Please consider joining Team Trinity today! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Check out Volunteer website for upcoming opportunites.  It is Holy Trinity's goal to register as many members on-line to assist in helping with our ministry projects within the community.  Simply log-in now and sign-up online to volunteer today

--The Lakeview Pantry

Holy Trinity members help hand out food at the Lakeview Pantry on the third Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m. For more information or with questions, contact James Perez.

--The Crib

The Night Ministry has reopened their youth/young adult homeless shelter, The Crib. Holy Trinity will be preparing and serving a meal once per month. On the third Saturday of each month, volunteers will meet at Holy Trinity at 7 p.m. to prepare the meal, then will head to The Crib to serve the meal. For more information, speak with or email Ken Duckmann.

--The Night Ministry Outreach Van

Holy Trinity will be assembling and distributing 'meals in a bag' with the Night Ministry in Rogers Park on a quarterly basis. Stay tuned for more information and how to help out.

--PAWS Chicago

Spend an evening socializing shelter dogs and cats! Attend periodic adult volunteer nights where you can spend time acclimating dogs and cats to a life with a family by playing with them, brushing them, petting them, showing them how to play with toys, or just letting them curl up on your lap. You are welcome to pick dogs or cats - or both! THERE IS NO NEED TO ATTEND ORIENTATION. For socializing, you will be shown what to do at the Center. If you would like to do more advanced things, like walk dogs, feed the dogs and cats, etc., contact Beth Morris to talk about scheduling a more advanced orientation. .

Next Baptism Dates: April 22. More info.

Next New Member Orientation Date: April 15.  More info.

Office Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Wed., 12:00-7:00 p.m.; and Sun., 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. 

April 5, 2012
Maundy Thursday
Pr. Craig M. Mueller

MORE THAN SKIN DEEP

It will be hard to enter these Three Days merely from your neck up. Though that's the way many of us live: in our heads. Thinking, rehashing, strategizing, worrying, analyzing.

Some say that the longest journey we make is from our head to our hearts. Or shall we say, to our body. To our skin.

Continue reading this sermon here 

April 6, 2012
Good Friday
Pr. Craig M. Mueller

TOUCHING THE TRUTH

What is truth?
It's the question Pilate asks.
Perhaps it's the question of the ages.
Debated by philosophers and theologians.
Since the Enlightenment, truth is reason, what we can prove.

Continue reading this sermon here 

April 7, 2012
Easter Vigil
Pr. Craig M. Mueller

WE LIVE FROM THIS NIGHT

"Why is this night different from all other nights?"
It's the question the youngest child asked last night at Passover celebrations all over the world.

Why is this night different from all other nights?
We could ask that question of our Passover celebration:
This Easter Vigil in which we pass with Christ from darkness to light.
From despair to hope.
From bondage to freedom.
From death to life.

Continue reading this sermon here 

Download all three sermons here
Listen to past sermons here
Listen to entire services here 

April 8, 2012
Easter Day
Pr. Michelle L. Sevig 

Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Gavin-Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Welcome to the most amazing show on earth!

Some of you here may remember the Sunday that Austin Johnson surprised us by running out to the front of the altar, before worship started, when all was quiet and prayerful, and shouted, not once but twice, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls!"

It's understandable, really, why he enthusiastically greeted a gathered crowd in this way; because it's something he's heard often. His family is in the circus. And when you have a big announcement to make or want to get the attention of a large crowd, you throw out your arms in a welcoming gesture and say, "Ladies, and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls..." Or in church on Easter Sunday with some very good news to share you might do something like this (arms outstretched) "Alleluia! Christ is risen."Christ is Risen indeed. Alleluia!

Continue reading this sermon here 

Listen to past sermons here
Listen to entire services here 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11 

    1:20 p.m.  Cubs Home Game
    6:00 p.m.  Contemplative Eucharist

    7:30 p.m.  12 Step Groups (St. Mark's Room & Passavant Hall)   

THURSDAY, APRIL 12

    10:00 a.m.  Weekly Bible Study

    1:20 p.m.  Cubs Home Game 

    7:15 p.m.  Congregation Council Meeting 

SUNDAY, APRIL 15

    8:30 a.m.  Simple Eucharist

    9:15 a.m.  New Member Orientation (St. Mark's Room)

    NO CHOIR

    9:30 a.m.  Sunday School and Sunday Forum 

    10:30 a.m.  Sung Eucharist

    11:45 a.m.  Seminarian Committee Meeting (St. Mark's Room)

    11:45 a.m.  Shawl Ministry Meeting (Choir Room)

    11:45 a.m.  New Member Orientation (Passavant Hall)

MONDAY, APRIL 16 

    7:00 p.m.  Meditation Group

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18

    6:00 p.m.  Contemplative Eucharist

    7:30 p.m.  12 Step Groups (St. Mark's and Passavant Hall)

Full Calendar of Events  

 

COMMEMORATIONS FOR THE WEEK

From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2010 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #26481.

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Night of Nights   

A story on Holy Trinity's Easter Vigil in LivingLutheran.com, click here 

• Living Lutheran: A Daily Blend of Stories, Culture and Community - <link>
• Spirituality and Practice: Resources for Spiritual Journeys - <link>
• Big Questions Online - <link>
• Religion dispatches - <link>
• Sightings (The Martin Marty Center) - <link>