This morning I went out in the fog to cut as many nice calla lilies as I could find in my three patches, to contribute to what
our Flower Lady and her team would use
to decorate the church for Palm Sunday and Holy Week.
B. came out with me and found a snail on the slab of schist that Soldier brought me from the mountains a while back.
Today was Lazarus Saturday, which is like a foretaste of Christ's own resurrection. It marks the end of Lent, and helps us remember Christ's power over death and hell which He demonstrated at The Event of all history, which will come to us at Pascha whether we are ready or not.
I dropped off the bucket of blooms right before Divine Liturgy (Holy Communion service) in the morning. In the afternoon, people cleaned and decorated the church.
In the evening was the Vigil for Palm Sunday, a gloriously rich beginning of the feast. The callas had been added to other flowers, including something that looked like campanula, and some unusual orange woody stems with berries (?) on them.
The palm fronds were all laid out at the ready.
In the middle of the service, while the sun was still up, we processed outside and stood singing and praying for a while; I was next to the wisteria and noticed the bees buzzing and the sweetness of the flowers adding to the flavor of the Holy Spirit.
Not long after that -- I am leaving out so much that was wonderful, like the flower-covered chandelier set to swinging, and special breads, but You Had to Be There -- the palm fronds were given out, and once they had a branch to hold, the children found it easier to last another while.
Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord!
7 comments:
a very holy Holy Week to you...
Being at Lazarus Saturday services was very special. I haven't helped with the flowers for a few years, but enjoyed making things beautiful when I did.
We made loaves of Pascha bread on Friday. I sure wished I'd had my camera. It was such a delight to see all those hands working together in the kitchen. There's an excitement in the air.
May you have a peaceful Holy Week.
What a lovely post, Gretchen Joanna! I felt invited to a holy event!
Such a beautiful post, Gretchen Joanna. I would have loved to "be there" to get the full effect. The callas are just gorgeous. I'm sure they'll do their part to praise the Lord Jesus this Holy Week.
Blessings on you,
Jody
That first picture of the Callas is just gorgeous! Happy Holy Week!
Your Palm Sunday sounds just perfect and lovely and holy.
Blessings,
GG
And your flowers are so pretty!
Those lilies are beautiful! And I love the palms. We got to church too late to get our palms on Sunday (the crowds made it impossible to park), but I loved seeing people wave them during the processional.
xofrances
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