St. Mary's
in the Mountains
A Community of Faith, Helping Our Neighbors and Celebrating God's Good News.
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Holy Week and Easter 2020
St. Mary's in the Mountains
Wilmington, VT
Dear SMM family and friends:
Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter are the birthing-ground of the Christian faith. It is in His death on the Cross and resurrection from the dead that vindicates Jesus' claims about God, Himself, and humanity. His trusting and brutalized humanity reveals His full self; His fully God and fully human-self shows us the way home to the Father and eternal life.
Typically, we gather for these high holy days in our spiritual home, St. Mary's. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will not be possible to gather physically to worship.
This year, the Worship Team has helped us deploy our spiritual, imaginative, and technological tools to worship together. Below you will find our worship schedule, and how to participate. To the right you will find the needed liturgical resources, which you click to open and download.
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May your Holy Week and Easter be filled with health and joy.
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Canon Nicholas Porter +
SMM Interim Pastor
Good Friday
Maundy Thursday (April 9), 6 p.m.: Invite Jesus Home for Dinner and Prayers. On the night before He died, Jesus gathered with His closest friends and followers to eat the Passover Supper. During the meal, Jesus gave His friends and followers two gifts: the Holy Eucharist and the Foot Washing. Holy Eucharist is about being nourished by Jesus; the Foot Washing is about serving others. Both are about a living, holy communion with our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. Tonight, we too dine with Jesus, seeking communion with him.
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At 6 p.m., in each of our homes, each of us prepares a simple meal of chicken, a vegetable, a grain and bread. Please set a place for Jesus at your table and invite Him to join you for dinner.
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Using the printout of the edited BCP Maundy Thursday Service in the Resources, pray the collects and read the Bible passages during supper.
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In your own way, have a conversation with Jesus about what these readings evoke in your heart.
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Please also share a photo of your dinner and and a few about your experience with us all, by emailing them to our webmaster (fortner1@comcast.net).
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Afterwards, view your photo and those of others here.
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Good Friday (April 10), 6 p.m.: Stand and Pray at the Foot of the Cross. On Good Friday, we remember the Crucifixion of Jesus outside of Jerusalem. In His death, Christians see the archetype of the Exodus Passover Lamb, whose blood takes away the sins of the world. His is a willing sacrifice and his obedience even unto death reconciles God and humanity and redeems (through Grace) human nature. Today we gather at the of the Cross, remembering the enormity of Jesus' sacrifice and giving thanks for our redemption. It is a day to dwell on the price and pain of a love that returns us to the Father's heart.
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Worship Leaders Lars Hunter, Peter Johnson, and Holly Winger Fortner are leading the virtual service from different locations that all may view by streaming from the St. Mary's Youtube Channel on Friday (click here). Please create a still space in your home with access to email, and then follow the service in prayer, song, and a reading of God's word.
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An edited version of the BCP Good Friday service is in the Good Friday Service Materials above.
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Easter Day (April 12), 10 a.m. Resurrection Sunday, Celebrate New Life in the Risen Lord. Christ is risen! On Easter, we remember the three women discovering that Jesus' tomb is empty. The angel tells them that Jesus is not there. God the Father has resurrected Him, and He will meet them in Galilee. In the Empty Tomb, Christians see that God is more powerful than evil and death. Jesus' resurrection is an outward and visible sign of His perfect obedience and of humanity's restoration to favor with God. This is God the Son incarnate, and all who trust and follow Him are promised eternal life. Today, we give thanks for this Love that will not die and will never abandon us!
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At 10 a.m., we celebrate Christ Jesus' resurrection and the promise of eternal life with a joyous and simple virtual service led by Rev. Canon Nicholas Port, which will be broadcast live via Zoom. You can download Zoom at www.zoom.us, and the email link will be sent to everyone on our distribution list. The link will also have a telephone number to allow you to listen by phone.