Holy Week Begins with Palm Sunday

Posted on April 15, 2014June 25, 2022 by admin

The dramatization of the Passion Gospel from Matthew was the centerpiece of Palm Sunday worship.

Palm Sunday 2014 was marked with rainy weather and some changes to the usual way of doing things, but the rain did not dampen spirits at LCH.

Both morning worship services begin in the Hörmann Courtyard with the blessing of palms and a short homily, but instead of processing around the church building, the congregation processed around the Nave before taking their seats for the rest of worship.

Members of the congregation joined together for a dramatic presentation of the Passion Gospel from Matthew. At right, Sylvia Hormann-Alper (at the lectern) reads the part of the evangelist, while Jim Sullivan, Peggy Anderson (in white, taking the role of Jesus), and Amanda Lippert take other parts.

Between morning worship services, the children led members during the annual Seder Meal in Isenberg Hall.

All are invited for worship at 7:30 pm on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil). See the Holy Week and Easter Worship page for details.

The Holy Week and Easter slideshow below includes addition photos from Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42

Lent Begins with Ash Wednesday

Posted on March 17, 2014June 27, 2022 by admin

Pastor Jeff Lilley marks the foreheads of members of the congregation with ashes during the Ash Wednesday Liturgy.

LCH began the observance of Lent on March 5 with the traditional Ash Wednesday Liturgy with imposition of ashes.

Throughout the Lent, members and friends will gather on Wednesday evenings for Dinner Church at 6:30 pm. Basically, Dinner Church is both a meal with worship and a feasting with the Divine Love found in fellowship within community. The concept isn’t something totally new. In fact, it is thousands of years old. The experience is very different in our world today, of course, but it is modeled after what the earliest disciples might have experienced when they shared a meal with Jesus in the Upper Room.

As our congregations prepares for our Easter joy in the resurrection, all are invited to come together at the table, to be fed and nourished in body and soul, and to feast together as a faith community. We will break bread together, share in a meal, hear the Word, sing the Word, and bless the wine. The liturgy used during Dinner Church will incorporate the music and prayerful song from Haugen’s Holden Evening Prayer.

Bach for the Presentation of Our Lord

Posted on February 2, 2014June 25, 2022 by admin

Bass Jeremy Wong singes from J. S. Bach’s Cantata 82, Ich habe genung, during worship on February 2, the Presentation of Our Lord

Bass Jeremy Wong sings from J. S. Bach’s Cantata 82, Ich habe genung, during worship on February 2, the Presentation of Our Lord

February 2 is the Presentation of Our Lord, an important day in the church year that doesn’t get much attention since it rarely lands on Sunday. It does this year, so Music Director Miguel Felipe decided to seize the opportunity and include a Bach cantata for solo bass in this morning’s 10:30 am worship service. Cantata 82, Ich have genus (I have enough) was sung by bass Jeremy Wong, accompanied by members of the Bach Chamber Orchestra.

The Presentation of Our Lord (also known as Candlemas or the Feast of the Purification) commemorates the day when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple, as required in the Jewish law. There they met Simeon, an old man who had been told he would not die until he had seen the messiah. Simeon recognizes Jesus and says that he is ready to depart (die) because he has seen the messiah, the light of the world. This story, recorded in Luke, is the source of the text Nunc dimities (Now let your servant depart in peace), which is sung each day at Compline.

In Bach’s day, Candlemas was an important feast, and he wrote five different cantatas for the celebration. Cantata 82 was one of his favorites, and we were happy to hear the beautiful performance as part of worship.

Merry 9th Day of Christmas!

Posted on January 2, 2014June 27, 2022 by admin

As the season of Christmas continues for a few more days, we want to wish you a very blessed and happy Christmas and New Year’s! Thank you to everyone who was able to participate in our many Christmas worship services as well as the New Year’s Day German Vespers Worship.

Here are a few photos of the celebrations. For more info and more photos, you can always check out LCH’s Facebook page at:

www.facebook.com/LCHwelcome

Christmas Services

Posted on December 18, 2013June 27, 2022 by admin

Hope that you will come to all of the Christmas and New Year’s worship services here at LCH. All are welcome.

(Click on either image for a larger view.)