"Light shining in the darkness and darkness not being able to overcome it" (John 1:5) Another way to say it is that the darkness that surrounded Jesus and that appeared to triumph over him on cross of Calvary was in the end, itself, overwhelmed by the light of Christ. This is one of many metaphors used in the Gospel of John to tell the story of the love of God having the last word in the conversation about what will ultimately define creation: life or death. And life wins!
That's the message of Easter Sunday: "Life wins!" And it's a message we're eager to share through our worship services of Holy Week, culminating on Easter Sunday morning. From the very beginning, as we enter in unsettling quiet and darkness, the services are designed to convey the whole theme of darkness being overwhelmed by light. From striking visuals to stirring music to powerful instrumental accompaniment and a strong message, we seek to recreate the experience of that first Easter morning and the gradual increasing understanding of the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It'll be like the dark of night giving way to the first light of dawn and then becoming as bright as the noonday sun as we experience Easter Sunday worship, whether you come to the 6 AM Easter Jazz Sunrise service or to any of the later three traditional services at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 AM. If you come to either of the later two services, please bring a flower on the stem to be part of the "flowering of the cross" ceremony in those services.
In addition to Easter morning services, we have two Holy Week services - on Maundy Thursday, April 17th, led by our Youth and Good Friday, April 18th, led by our Choir, both beginning at 7:00 PM. We also have a full-size prayer Labyrinth set up in our Fellowship Hall for you to walk and meditate and pray in the early mystic tradition.
For a listing of our Holy Week worship services, click here: http://www.fcfumc.net/resources/worship-themes
Please plan to join us for our Holy Week and Easter worship events - we'd love to see you through the week!
Resurrection Blessings,
Steve
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