Easter Sunday Sunday, April 5 8:00 a.m. in Old Brick 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. in New Brick We have now reached Easter Day – a day of joy, celebration, and the gift of life to God’s people. There are three services, and you are welcome to be with us at any of these. The 8:00 worship is in historic Old Brick and is without musical accompaniment. At the 9:00 and 11:00 services, a full choir and procession, accompanied by all the rituals appointed for the day, help us celebrate and express our joy. At all three, the Easter sermon is given, and the glory of the day radiates from our worship into the community. Celebrations on this day include the annual Easter Egg Hunt and the ceremony of the Flowering of the Cross. These are beloved celebrations for the younger ones among us, and the rest of us ensure a safe and fun time for all. Please bring any cut flowers you may have - as well as your basket or bag for the egg hunt! Join us for worship on this incredibly special day. If you cannot be with us in person, you can worship virtually at 9:00 or 11:00 a.m. below. The service leaflet is here . And if you would like to read Father Manny's sermon text, you can do so here .

Holy Saturday Saturday, April 4 Easter Vigil and Eucharist, The Lighting of the New Fire, and Baptism 7:00 p.m. in New Brick As the church awaits the glory of the resurrection, Holy Saturday is a day of preparation. As the sun sets, bringing with it the end of the Lenten season, one of the most beautiful services of the entire church year is held. We begin in utter darkness, signifying Christ in the tomb, and then a new fire is lit & blessed, and with it, the Paschal Candle symbolizing Christ. Then, within that light, lessons are read which remind us of God’s desire for man’s salvation. The Sacrament of Holy Baptism focuses on the priesthood of all believers, and then we celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. The darkness is now full light!  Join us tonight, April 4 at 7:00 p.m. for an unforgettable worship gathering. And if you can't join us in person, you can worship virtually below. The service leaflet is here . And the sermon tonight is given by Rev. Yehinuel Odidi - you can read his sermon's text here .

GOOD FRIDAY AT CHRIST CHURCH Today, April 3 12:00 and 7:00 p.m. in New Brick Christians throughout the world recall Good Friday as the day upon which Jesus died. As it remembers the great sinfulness of man, it also points to the glory and love of God. It is most somber in its offering, and includes the Veneration of the Cross, another ancient custom of the Church. A plain wooden cross is carried into the church and is held before us. The congregation is then invited to come forward in reverence of the cross, by touching the wood, a simple bow, a genuflection, or the act of kissing the wood of the cross. The noonday service lasts one hour and draws our attention to the extraordinary love that God has for each of us in giving His son to die on the cross. The evening service is slightly longer, as we also receive communion from the Sacrament Reserved. Church tradition prohibits the celebration of the Eucharist on this day. YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AT CHRIST CHURCH. If you can't gather with us for the 7 p.m. service, you can view the livestream below. Ther service leaflet can be found at https://cecliturgy.org/GoodFriday2026 . Check out all of our Easter weekend services and gatherings at https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/holyweek   #goodfriday   #lent   #episcomd   #holyweek   #GatherWithUs   #youarewelcome   #everyoneiswelcome

A few weeks ago, I told the story of Nasrudin, a protagonist of Middle Eastern folklore. One night, Nasrudin was approaching his house when he realized he had lost his key. He tried to look for it, but the night was so dark he could hardly see anything. He got down on his hands and knees, but it was still too dark to see. Moving backward toward a street lamp, he again got down on and began to search the area under the light. A neighbor came by and asked what he was doing. Nasrudin told him he had lost his key, so the neighbor also got down on his hands and knees to search with him. After a while, the neighbor asked, ‘Are you sure you lost the key here?’ “No, I didn’t lose it here; I lost it in my house," he answered. “Then why are you looking for it out here?” the neighbor demanded. “Because the light is so much better here,” he replied. We are all like Nasruddin. When we search for our missing key, we look outside of ourselves, where the light seems good. But the key is inside of us. It is inside of us; it resides in the heart, which is the heartbeat of what makes us human. I have no doubt that it is the heart that makes us human and constantly reminds us of how human we all are. I want to be that human who is in with the heart, which not only makes me human, but whose deepest desires prove to us that the universe is not centered on us. The deepest desires of the heart direct us toward that which is beyond ourselves, to things seemingly out of reach but toward which our vital energies are oriented. The deepest desire of the heart is not to settle for the small, cramped places where we so often want to live. The heart pulls us toward creative self-expression, expansiveness, and self-actualization. The heart calls us to genuine intimacy, and it points us toward release from the prison of isolated individuality. The heart invites us to a place of connection, fulfillment, aliveness, and wholeness. The deepest desire of the heart is an invitation to a place of both greater height and greater depth. The heart encourages us to soar on the winds of the spirit (breath) and be grounded in the realities of dust. The heart points us toward the transcendent self but encourages us to remain anchored in the mundane and immanent.  The deepest desire of the heart is for each of us to be all that we can humanly be. That isn’t an easy or small task, but it is a fulfilling task because apart from being human, what else can you be? It is important to me, and I am sure to everyone in this congregation, that as people of faith, we look at each other through the prism of what our hearts require of us. If the heart is the symbol of love, then it stands to reason that there is no other way to connect heart-to-heart with each other without the gift of love. It is the heart that provides the eyes for love to see and hands for love to embrace. It is the heart that allows love to affirm. It is the heart that inspires love to engage. It is the heart that mitigates any of our selfish desires and helps us look at each piece of our lives, broken or unbroken, unmitigated mess or not, evil or holy, dwelling in the abyss of human depression or being at the peak of life itself, that our connectedness with each other surpasses any of the challenges and gifts that life may throw our way.  As we prepare to celebrate Easter, I am reminded of the sacrificial love that pours from a heart that refuses to be consumed by anything that pretends to be more than human or less than human. Easter, if you agree with me, honor the gift of being human. It is as if to say that we cannot abandon the sanctity of being human, nor can we trade the gift of being human for anything else. This is because Easter crowns our ineffable joys and assures us that we embody the reason our Savior died for us. That is not all, Easter reminds us of the value of a heart that makes life both possible and worth living. Easter makes me want to live because I have the heart to live and a heart to love. Here’s a quote by James Baldwin: “The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love — whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light. Gentle work. Steadfast work. Life-saving work in those moments when life and shame and sorrow occlude our own light from view, yet there is still a clear-eyed, loving person to beam it back. In our best moments, we are that person for another.” To be human is to have hearts that mirror each other - not a perfect mirroring, but a mirroring anyway. It is the kind of mirroring that makes you see yourself come alive in the other person. And when you see yourself come alive in the other, you not only magnify each other, but you magnify the greatest gift which each can give to the other. This Easter season, I am deeply reminded of the sacred duty to come alive in you. That is because of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been given a new lease of life, to come alive in each other, to magnify each other, and to fill each other with abundant life. In a sense, Easter can only come alive in me if I am willing to come alive in you. And it is not only because my heart is connected to yours, but because my heart touches your heart in a way that neither you nor I can explain. If we are all connected to both dust and breath, then maybe, just maybe, Easter's real story is that it awakens the heart to see why it is that one organ whose beat makes us human. Happy Easter, my beloved.  Manny+ (this is the second excerpt from my Wednesday Evening in Lent program)

Maundy Thursday at Christ Church Tonight, Thursday, April 2 5:00 p.m. Love Feast in New Brick's Great Hall 7:00 p.m. Eucharist in New Brick, with Foot-washing and Stripping of the Altar 8:00 p.m. Overnight Vigil in Old Brick On this evening of Maundy Thursday, we gather together to bring into remembrance the Last Supper of our Lord and the Institution of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We hear and remember the words of Jesus as he states, “Do this in remembrance of me.” As the service concludes, the altar is stripped of all of its appointments, so that the focus of all can be upon the cross alone on the following day, Good Friday. We then hear of the Agony in the Garden, as Jesus is arrested.  The Watch then takes place in response to our Lord’s question, “Could you not watch with me for one hour?”   We remember that night with a Vigil in Old Brick, which runs from 8:00 p.m. tonight until 12:00 noon tomorrow, which is Good Friday. Each hour, we invite parishioners to participate in the Vigil by signing up for a time that works for you.  The sign-up sheet is available here , and you're welcome to sign up for just one hour or choose to stay for a couple of hours. YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AT CHRIST CHURCH. Check out all of our Holy Week and Easter services and gatherings here . And if you cannot join us in person tonight, you can worship virtually. The service leaflet is here , and the livestream is below. You can also read Father Manny's sermon text here .   #holyweek   #MaundyThursday   #maundythursday   #episcomd   #howardcountymd   #howardcountymaryland   #columbiamd   #columbiamaryland   #columbiamdchurch   #columbiachurch   #episcopal   #episcopalian   #lent   #YouAreWelcomeHere   #youarewelcome

Tenebrae at Christ Church - Tonight Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. in New Brick The word Tenebrae is Latin for “shadows” or “darkness” and can also be translated as “night” or “death.” The word calls our attention to scriptural accounts of Christ’s crucifixion, when “darkness came over the whole land” (Mark 15:33; Matthew 27:45, Luke 23:44). The Tenebrae service is an ancient Christian tradition recalling the somber events of Jesus’ last days, beginning with the Last Supper and ending with his burial. During Tenebrae, candles are extinguished one by one as scripture and music tell the story of Holy Week. The gradual descent into gloom is a representation of Jesus’ increasing sorrow as the events of Passion Week unfolded. At the end of the service, a loud noise is sounded representing the closing of Christ’s tomb. Everyone then departs in silence in the shadows cast by a solitary candle. Join us for this somber yet beautiful service of Holy Week. YOU ARE WELCOME HERE. Check out all of our Holy Week and Easter services and gatherings at https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/holyweek . If you can't join us in person, you can worship virtually below. The service leaflet is found at https://cecliturgy.org/Tenebrae2026

The holiest of weeks begins with Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday. Here, the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is recalled, and yet, the liturgy quickly shifts to the events of the week that lead Jesus to his arrest, trial, and death on the cross. The congregation gathers in Old Brick, processes to New Brick with blessed palm leaves, and joins in the reading of the Gospel narrative in parts. The liturgy ends in quietness, a stark contrast to the joy of the procession. And with this, our Holy Week journey begins. Gather with us in New Brick at 10:30 this morning.   #palmsunday   #PalmSunday   #youarewelcomehere   #youarewelcome   #episcomd   #hocomd   #columbiamd

Holy Week is the most sacred period of our Christian faith. This is when the foundational story of Christianity – Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection – is remembered and retold, both in words and in ritual actions, at services throughout the week. We gather together as a community of faith to journey with Jesus to Jerusalem, to stand with him before his accusers, to walk to Golgotha, and to stand at the foot of his cross. Finally, on Easter Sunday, we will joyously celebrate the resurrection of Christ, lifting our voices in praise of the hope that is ours and the world’s. ​   From earliest times, Christians have observed the week before Easter as a time of special devotion. The heart of Holy Week observance is the three holy days, or Triduum, of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, and Christ Church has services on each of these days. ​​ Join us for all of it, if you can, remembering that without the journey of Holy Week, Easter loses its deep meaning. Visit https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/holyweek for all of our worship details.

“I Can Do Something” This is the call I hear you echo in my soul each time.   When Father Manny quoted the Edward Everett Hale poem below, it brought to mind my experience as a volunteer translator with Somos Amigo s Medical Missions s Medical Missions.  And that “something” makes such a difference in the lives of those we serve, whether it’s the 96-year-old gentleman who comes every year for his checkup and medications, or the Haitian mother bringing her infant for the very first time. We cherish every patient and the members of the community of Naranjito, who are essential in making this work possible. And it is a two-way street, because all of us together — volunteers, patients, and the community — experience healing, teaching, learning, joy, resilience, faith, gratitude, hope, and love. Ultimately, we are building relationships through love and mutual respect. Amen. To learn more about Somos Amigos, please visit https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/somos-amigos-medical-missions

Easter isn’t just something we celebrate - it’s something we live! Journey with us as we discover the ways we resist joy and look into how we may be called to bring life, healing, and hope to others. The 2nd Saturday Center for Spiritual Nourishment (CSN) provides opportunities for us to be in a closer relationship with God through an array of experiences that engage the mind, body, and spirit. Programs for April 11 center on the theme Living the Resurrection  and include: Meditation, Spiritual Direction, Mindfulness in Nature, and Discussion Sessions about our deeper calling. If you want to learn more about future Center for Spiritual Nourishment events, submit your email address below to receive regularly updated information (we will not share or sell your address to anyone). Whether you've joined us before or are a first-timer, we are sure that there's something special waiting for you here. Everyone is welcome, and we hope to see you there! Schedule of Events: 8:30 – 9:00: Breakfast and social time 9:00 - 9:10: Greeting; Outline the day's sessions 9:10 – 10:05: Resurrection and Purpose Spiritual Direction Circle 9:10 - 11:15: Movie and Discussion: The Case for Christ 10:15 – 11:15: Christian Meditation · Contemplative Christianity                     Mindfulness in the Garden 11:30 – 12:00: Reflection Circle Join us on Saturday, April 11 as we offer: Mindfulness in the Garden led by Mike Looney Join us as we find peace in nature.  During this session we will get our hands in the dirt by potting plants and creating a meditation garden. Then we will put it to use with mindfulness exercises that you can also do at home with your new plant. Resurrection and Purpose: Discovering Your Calling after Easter led by Toni Summerell The resurrection was not just a moment of celebration—it was the beginning of a new mission. After encountering the risen Christ, lives changed. Mary Magdalene became the first messenger of the resurrection. The disciples became bold witnesses who carried hope into the world. We will reflect on how the resurrection transforms not only our faith but also our purpose. Through guided reflection and coaching-style questions, participants will explore where God may be calling them to bring life, healing, and hope. Christian Meditation: "Don't Hold Onto Me" led by Leah Chrest Jesus meets Mary Magdalene in the garden and speaks her name, drawing her out of her grief.  Then, he urges her to “not hold onto him”.  How does the love of Jesus draw us out of our inward focus and grief and propel us into genuine love for self and others?  In a mixture of teaching, discussion, and practice, strengthen your ability to engage in the equally important side of the conversation with God--if prayer is talking to the Lord, meditation is listening to God’s voice, and being changed by God’s presence. Film Screening: The Case for Christ led by George Toth The true story of Lee Strobel, the author of “The Case for a Creator”, started as an atheist adamantly and fiercely holding to his beliefs. A seasoned journalist and former defense attorney, Lee Strobel is shaken when his wife Leslie turns to Christianity. Seeking to understand, and desperately trying to ultimately disprove her beliefs, he uses his investigative skills to research and examine the historical claims of Christianity. As he rigorously examines the evidence, Lee's pursuit of facts leads him on an unexpected journey of discovery, challenging his own deeply held atheistic convictions and forcing him to confront profound questions about faith and truth. When truth shakes our held faith which shall prevail? It is a choice we all must make. Spiritual Direction Circle led by Carol Abbott In what ways does Joy feel like resurrection? How can you be still and accept joy while letting go of the need to explain, do, excuse, or rush by? We’ll explore the ways we often resist joy in a mistaken feeling that it’s undeserved or inconvenient. Have Questions? Wish to Help Lead Future CSN Sessions?   #nourishyourspirit   #SpiritualNourishment   #allarewelcome   #RefreshYourSpirit   #divinelove   #hocomd   #episcomd   #columbiamd   #columbiamaryland

Palm Sunday at Christ Church We have three services this Sunday morning: Holy Eucharist in Old Brick at 8:00, Family Worship in New Brick at 9:00, and Choral Eucharist in New Brick at 10:30. Collect for Today: Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. This Sunday's Readings: The Liturgy of the Palms Matthew 21:1-11 Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 The Liturgy of the Word Isaiah 50:4-9a Philippians 2:5-11 Matthew 27:11-54 Psalm 31:9-16 Sermon for This Sunday: The Rev. Emmanuel Ato Mercer delivers the Palm Sunday sermon, and you can view it in the video below once worship has begun. Sunday Worship Livestream: Our service livestream begins just before 10:30 a.m. The service leaflet for this worship is here .