palm sunday invitation

​Beloved Ones,
We prepare to enter into Holy Week on Palm Sunday. Christ’s triumphal procession into Jerusalem, followed by our solemn remembrance of his Passion. 

Let us examine our hearts, praying with Christians - in all places and times - who have kept this tradition of walking with Jesus the final steps of his earthly ministry. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) wrote, in ‘On Keeping Holy Week,’ this invitation into mystery: 

“Be watchful, brethren, lest the mysteries of this season pass you by without your gaining from them their due fruit.  Abundant is the blessing; you must bring clean vessels to receive it, and offer loving souls and watchful senses, sober affections and pure consciences for such great gifts of grace.

All Christians practice more than usual devotion in these seven days and try to be more humble and more serious than is their wont, so that in some sort they may share Christ's sufferings. And rightly so. For the Passion of the Lord is here in truth, shaking the earth, rending the rocks and opening the tombs; and His Resurrection also is at hand.”

We bring before God our sorrow in needing to observe a second Holy Week in pandemic. As a reminder, we are following this state map, which shows Newtown and surrounding towns as “red,” with high levels of virus: https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/COVID-19-Data-Tracker

The ongoing guidance of our ECCT and Trinity leadership is that we will not gather indoors when our town is red. We also bring to God our hope of new life and re-gathering soon, as vaccinations increase.   

Please join us in livestreaming worship on Sunday at 9:30 AM. Due to predicted heavy rain, we must, alas, keep our Palm Procession inside the Church on Sunday morning, rather than up and down Main Street as we had hoped.

Palms will be blessed and available in the Chapel beginning on Friday. The Chapel is always accessible through the red front doors of Trinity Church; we invite you to bring home a palm to your place of worship. We also invite you to spend time in the Chapel in prayer. You may wish to add a name or prayer to our Prayer Tree.

May each of us be blessed, witnessing these holy mysteries …

Christ’s peace be with you,
Rev. Andrea