Easter Day

I know that my redeemer liveth

What a glorious Pascha!

We started the day by waking at four o'clock so that we would arrive at the parish in time for the six o'clock "sunrise" celebration of Holy Communion. It was odd driving to Woodinville from Kent at that early hour. There were almost no other cars on the road, so we made the trek in remarkable time. The kids slept in the car (and in fact slept through all of Holy Communion).

Shortly after arriving, Bill and I "suited up" to serve at the Lord's Table. Bill served as crucifer and Epistler, and I as thurifer and lector (Fr. McGrath combined Matins and Holy Communion, as he often does for feasts). I read from Exodus xii, wherein Moses and Aaron instruct the Israelites regarding the Passover. It's good stuff, and although I wasn't prepared to read it (I had prepared instead to read the Eptistle), that portion of Holy Scripture is familiar enough to me that I limped by.

This morning was only the second time I've served as thurifer (the first being only a few days ago on Maundy Thursday), and I did about as well as you might expect. I love incense in spite of my "low church" rearing, so I look forward to growing comfortable with the thurible. Fortunately, I have some fairly detailed notes for thurifers from my days at the Scott School. I'll have to find them.

Unfortunately, there were very few people present to see my missteps. In fact, there were only three people in the nave (and one was Deirdre). Normally, when there are as many people in the sanctuary as in the nave, I'd say there's a problem. But, at a sunrise service, I guess it's to be expected.

(Fr. McGrath told me at dinner that there were 80 people at the later celebration of Holy Communion, more than twenty of which were children. Praise God! I wish I'd been able to stay to see and hear the happy throng.)

After a beautiful and moving celebration of Holy Communion, during which Kathy played the harp and Fr. McGrath delivered a great sermon on what it means to be Resurrected, we gathered downstairs for breakfast. Fr. McGrath's wife and kids arrived just in time, which made Prudence very happy (once she finally awoke). We brought croissants (three dozen!) and others brought meat, cheese, boiled eggs, cream cheese, orange marmalade, yogurt, and juice. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, a meal shared with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I wish we could come to together to share a table in community like that every day.

We departed the parish for home after breakfast so that we could clean the house and prepare food in advance of the McGraths' and Deirdre's mother's arrival, who were visiting us for dinner later in the early afternoon. I prepared braised lamb chops, mashed potatoes, maple glazed carrots, roasted Brussels sprouts, and a whole wheat loaf. Deirdre contributed an apple pie. It was good, if by no other indication than the lack of leftovers afterwards. After dinner, Fr. McGrath and I spoke a bit about my aspiration to the diaconate, a bit about the parish, and a bit about ecclesia et via Anglicana. It was yet another magnificent time of fellowship spent with beloved friends and our family in Christ.

We then met the McGraths one last time, barely an hour after they left our house, at the parish for Evensong. Only our two families were present, but Fr. McGrath's wife played the organ anyway, and I'm glad she did. It was a wonderful way to finish the day.

I have hours of work I could (and probably should) do before tomorrow morning, but I'm not going to. This day has been as close to perfect as any in a very long time. We celebrated our risen Lord's triumph over death, we twice shared a table in fellowship with our Christian brethren, I had a great talk with a new friend, and I enjoyed more time with my wife and children than I've been able to in weeks.

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is gracious