A note from Rev. Sharon

Dear St. John’s,
   If you look at the service music on the first page of your bulletin on Sunday and think, “It’s Greek to me!” – you’ll be exactly right.
   During Lent, many churches switch from singing the celebratory Gloria to the petitionary Kyrie. This is an ancient prayer of the church that translates to: “Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.”
   The editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica tell us, “The word Kyrie is used in the Septuagint, the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament, to translate the Hebrew word Yahweh. In the New Testament, Kyrie is the title given to Christ, as in Philippians 2:11.”
   So when we sing this prayer, we will be joining our voices with Christians who have prayed using these same words for centuries.
A few other important notes for Sunday:

•  ​Daylight Savings Time: Remember to turn your clock forward one hour. Spring ahead.
• Our annual meeting with election of officers will take place soon after the 10 a.m. service.
• Sign up for the free Ramadan feast we are hosting on Saturday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m.
• Volunteer to create one of the Stations of the Cross in conjunction with the Black Poster Project.

Details on these events and more, including our full Holy Week worship schedule, will be on this week’s announcement sheet.
 
Rev. Sharon

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