Holy Week is almost upon us. The days that stretch from Palm Sunday to Easter are the most important of the entire year. Throughout the week, Transfiguration will be bustling with activity: services, rehearsals, meetings, and long hours of quiet prayer. I hope you will scroll down a bit and see the details about all of our Holy Week offerings.

This week, as I was finalizing the schedule for altar servers and such for the next quarter, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for all of you who give so much of your time to assist our worship of God here at Transfiguration. So, I wanted to go ahead and thank you (ahead of time) for the many hours that most of you will spend at Transfiguration during that sacred week.

Thank you to Olga Ruff and her fabulous Altar Guild. Over the week, they will completely turn over the church several times, swapping out kneelers, veiling and unveiling artwork. They will prepare for our twelve celebrations of Holy Eucharist over nine days. They've been planning for these services for months, and although you may not notice all the details of their work, you can rest assured that everything is in good hands.

Thank you to Carolyn Lewis and the members of the Flower Guild. With the exception of a funeral or two, it can seem like the Flower Guild takes the entire season of Lent off, but in reality, they've been planning and preparing for the arrangements we will enjoy during Holy Week. You'll see their work lining the aisles on Palm Sunday, surrounding the Altar of Repose during the Triduum, and all over the church on Easter weekend.

Thank you to Liz Kerner and her team for throwing the best party of the year! And thanks to everyone who has signed-up to bring food. There are still ways that you can contribute to the festivities; see the sign-up table in the Tower Cloister for more information. And if you haven't been to the Break-the-Fast Feast before, then you don't know what you're missing. Special thanks, also, to Bracken, his team, and everyone who will flip Roper Hall from party space to worship space during the wee hours of Sunday morning. (They're still taking volunteers to help with this task, by the way.)

Thanks to Joel and all the musicians who will be here all week. The amount of music that they will sing and play is truly astonishing. Between our choristers and organists, they will prepare dozens of chants, anthems, voluntaries, descants, and all sorts of other things. (I'm particularly excited to hear Conner Allison and the Transfiguration Choir sing Easter from Ralph Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs; it's one of my favorites.)

Thank you to all the chalice bearers, lectors, ushers, acolytes, greeters, emcees, thurifers, sound techs, retired clergy, child-wranglers, and streamer-wavers that will help lead us in worship during Holy Week. Thank you for coming in for extra rehearsals and for signing-up to fill a vacant role when you can. It takes about a hundred of you to support all the services of the week. We truly couldn't do this without you.

Finally, I want to thank all of you who plan to be here to worship God and remember the saving acts of Christ's Passion in the coming weeks. Thank you for participating in the Gospel reading on Palm Sunday. Thank you for chanting the psalms at Tenebrae. Thank you for washing one another's feet. Thank you for keeping watch with the Blessed Sacrament through the small hours of the night. Thank you for bringing your children to the various offerings geared towards families. Thank you for supporting Quinten, Kellan, and Daniel as they become members of the Body of Christ in Holy Baptism at the Easter Vigil.

On behalf of the clergy and staff, I want you to know how much we appreciate everything you do, not only during Holy Week, but throughout the year. We are well aware that for many of you, all of your work at Transfiguration happens in addition to your nine-to-five job, or time spent raising your family, or your school work. We hope that the time you spend at Transfiguration in the next few weeks makes a difference in your lives.

See you at church!

Ted+