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From the Vicar...
On Palm Sunday, perhaps "less is more"
From the late Classical Age until the advent of the Ecumenical Movement of the twentieth century, when the modern three-year lectionary was introduced, Christians had a one-year cycle for their readings. So, if you were an Episcopalian, a Roman Catholic, a Lutheran or a traditional Methodist before, say, the beginning of the 1970s, on Palm Sunday you always heard part, but not all, of Matthew's Passion narrative and on Good Friday part, but not all, of John's.
In the Episcopal Church since 1971 we have heard Matthew's Passion in Year A, Mark's in Year B, and Luke's in Year C - in each case "from beginning to end." John's version of the story is still the Good Friday gospel in all years.
While I, for one, welcome the opportunity to hear all three of the Synoptic passion narratives over the course of the three-year cycle, I have to wonder if it really helps us to hear all of it in one sitting. It leads many to "tune out" when the Passion reading goes on and on, page after page, even with the use of laypersons taking the various parts.
It took the necessity of shortening the reading to "fit" the service to the time frame necessary for Alexis and me to make it to Christ Church's 10:30 service from Trinity's 8:45 to discover that, perhaps, "less is more." A two-page reading hitting the highlights of Luke's telling of the story strikes me as having more power as a verbal offering than a long, droning recitation of the whole cycle from beginning to end.
As New Testament scholar Joseph Fitzmyer wrote in his 1985 commentary on Luke, "It should be obvious that no one evangelist has told the whole story as it actually happened." So, too, "telling the whole story" isn't entirely necessary to understand its power. Just as no one person could really tell the whole story, so no one telling of the "whole" story can really convey the power that story holds for us.
In reflecting on all this, I find myself wondering what difference it has made to the history of Christian anti-Semitism, that, for centuries, Christians only heard part of Matthew and John during Holy Week - and never the corrective of Mark's and Luke's less offensive offerings. After all, it's only in Matthew's version that the crowd cries, "His blood be on us and on our children!" And it is only John, over and over again, who identifies those who oppose Jesus and call for his death simply as "the Jews." I don't think hearing only scenes from these two gospels was all that good a thing.
As we listen to the words of Luke this Sunday, we would do well to remember that it is in Luke that Jesus tells us about the man who left his ninety-nine sheep to seek the one that was lost. It is Luke who holds before us the central lesson of that incident: that when he finds the sheep that is lost, he puts the sheep on his own shoulders, carries him home, and calls his neighbors together to rejoice. I don't believe Jesus can forget you or me or anyone. I do believe he has already found us and called us to the Table of blessing to rejoice.
As you listen Sunday, perhaps you will hear, as never before, the power of this story as it emerges from the shorter version offered. The Luke who speaks of light and darkness and lost sheep and found sheep also speaks here - and truly indeed, "less is more."
Fr. Chip
Our Shared Ministry Cycle of Prayer
Each week, in both of our churches, we pray for one ministry we share and one or two households in each church. About once every six weeks, we will instead using the Shared Ministry Collect we prayed throughout the opening months of our Shared Ministry.
In our prayers the next two weeks, we give God thanks for...
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March 20
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Collect for our Shared Ministry
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March 27
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Collect for our Shared Ministry
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Holy Week and Easter services
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At Trinity Church
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At Christ Church
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Palm Sunday
March 20
Note: no Saturday evening liturgy at Trinity Church on March 19
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8:45 a.m.
Palm Sunday Procession and Holy Eucharist
- Service begins in Hobbs Hall with the Blessing of the Palms
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10:30 a.m.
Palm Sunday Procession and Holy Eucharist
- Service begins on front steps with the Blessing of the Palms
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Maundy Thursday
March 24
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7:00 p.m.
Holy Eucharist and Stripping of the Altar
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Good Friday
March 25
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7:00 p.m.
Good Friday Liturgy
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12:00 noon
Stations of the Cross
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Easter Even
March 26
Note: No Saturday evening liturgy at Trinity Church on March 26
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7:30 p.m.
Great Vigil of Easter
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Easter Morning
March 27
Note: 6:15 Sunrise Service at North Beach, Hampton
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8:45 a.m.
Festival Eucharist
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10:30 a.m.
Festival Eucharist
- Easter Egg hunt follows on church grounds
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Additional Holy Week notes
Maundy Thursday - Christ Church will host our liturgy, to be held at 7 p.m. The service ends with the solemn Stripping of the Altar and the procession of the reserved Sacrament to the Chapel for repose. The Chapel remains open after the service for any who wish to stay for prayer and meditation.
Stations of the Cross - At the hour of Our Lord's suffering on the Cross, 12:00 noon, Christ Church will offer the Stations of the Cross.
The Good Friday Liturgy - Please join us at Trinity Church for our joint evening service, at 7:00 p.m. This moving liturgy recounts John's version of the Passion and includes the praying of the Solemn Collects of Good Friday and the Veneration of the Cross.
The Great Vigil of Easter - Ringing in the Resurrection!
On Saturday evening, March 26, you are invited to bring a bell, small or large, to the 7:30 p.m. Easter Vigil service at Christ Church. We will gather in the darkness, light the New Fire of Easter, process the Paschal (Easter) Candle to the strains of the glorious chant, Exsultet, hear the marvelous stories of God's work in salvation history and then ring those bells at each mention of the word, "Alleluia!" as we celebrate the First Eucharist of Easter. This is a joint celebration, with music from our combined choir and participants from both congregations.
Easter Sunrise Service at North Beach -This annual service near where Rt. 27 meets Ocean Blvd. in Hampton, will be held at 6:15 a.m. Easter morning. Fr. Chip will be among the clergy participants.
Fundraiser for Discretionary Fund is now underway
Between now and the Day of Pentecost (May 15), we will be undertaking a fundraiser for the Vicar's Discretionary Fund. Peter Monte (at Christ Church) and Gordon Lane (at Trinity Church) will be selling raffle tickets for a $200 gift card from the Atlantic Grill in Rye. Tickets are $15 each or three for $30. See Peter or Gordon at coffee hour if you'd like to help us beef up this Fund, which helps people in need both within our congregations and in the community at large.
Calendar raffle for our Shared Ministry
The calendars have been printed and are now available for sale! There are items worth approximately $1,500 in prizes and you can win up to 30 times for the month. Please be sure to buy a calendar from a church member and pick up additional copies to sell to your friends! You may also email the Shared Ministry Office to purchase a calendar at trinity55ad@gmail.com.
For anyone that donated gift cards or items to the calendar, please bring the items to church and give them to Fr. Chip or me so that they can be available.
Throughout the month of April, we will be publishing the winners of our daily Calendar fundraiser drawings. Cindy Robinson will draw a name each morning starting April 1 and the winner will be notified they've won - and how to retrieve their gift. All names go back in the basket - so each person has thirty chances to win. One reminder to our Calendar sellers: If you are selling to someone outside our congregations, put your name on the back of the ticket so we can convey the gift via you.
Tena Wolf
Village Preschool hosts Breakfast with the Easter Bunny this Saturday
When: Saturday, March 19, 2016
Time: 8:00 to 10:30 am
Where: Village Preschool, 200 High Street, Hampton
Tickets: $5.00 per person
Trinity Church to host New Orleans Jazz Night
When: April 2, 2016 -----Time: 6:00 to 8:00 pm 
Where: Hobbs House - Trinity Episcopal Church, 200 High Street, Hampton, NH
$5.00 Donation - Hobbs House
FEATURING: The EPISCO-CATS Jazz Combo
Eats: Traditional New Orleans Food, including King's Cake
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