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 .

🌿 From the crowds in the streets to the hope in our hearts. Tomorrow, Palm Sunday, we’re celebrating a King who didn’t come to take over, but to take our place. Grab a palm branch and join us at Christ Church as we start the journey toward Easter. We have three services on Palm Sunday morning: 8:00 a.m. worship takes place entirely in Old Brick. 9:00 a.m. begins in the Great Hall, then process up the Narthex staircase into the New Brick sanctuary, which will include a special Palm Sunday service for kids with choir and readings. 10:30 a.m. begins in Old Brick with the Liturgy of the Palms, and then we all process to the New Brick sanctuary for the rest of the worship. Gather with us at any of these. And see our entire Holy Week and Easter schedule at https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/holyweek   #palmsunday   #PalmSunday   #thejourneytoeaster   #episcomd   #columbiamdchurch   #columbiachurches   #hocomd   #columbiamd   #worshipwithus   #allarewelcome

Shortly before his death, Henri Nouwen was invited to deliver a special lecture at a university. He had retired at that time and was living in Toronto in the L’Arch community of Daybreak, a community made up of developmentally disabled persons and a few helpers. Henri came onto the stage with several of the people he lived with, informing his audience that since moving to Daybreak, he had never traveled alone. He then invited his Daybreak friends to interrupt him at any time if they had something to say. Several of them did so several times. The topic of his talk was “What makes us human?” This, he said, had become a central question for him since leaving academia and joining the Daybreak community. Henri began his lecture by reviewing the standard list of things suggested by anthropologists and evolutionary psychologists as distinctive to humans, things such as self-awareness, speech and symbolic cognition, conscience, the ability to contemplate our origins and our future, and the capacity to imagine. According to Nouwen, these were all products of the mind, and for good reasons, it was the mind that both the academy and the world had come to assume was the centerpiece of our humanity. But living with the developmentally challenged or disabled forced him to rethink this conclusion. If the mind is the primary factor in what makes us human, then it is easy to say that those who are intellectually deficient must be seen as less than fully human. However, life with the residents at Daybreak taught him that they were far from being considered subhuman. It was from them - the disabled - that he learned that it was not the mind but the heart that makes us human. The heart, as it were, is what makes us fundamentally human. For us Christians, the miracle of being human is being connected to both dust and breath. Genesis 2:7 reminds us that “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Humans are created from the dust of the earth, and are therefore indivisibly connected to the material world - we are material and are connected to all things material that we see. What this means is that part of being human is an attachment to the earth. The other part of being human is that the dust is only animated by breath - divine breath. Divine breath transforms inanimate dust into a living being, a human person. Christians understand this breath as God’s Spirit. The dust cannot be fully human by itself alone, nor can the breath bring life without the dust into which it can breathe. Both the dust and the breath are integral in making the human being come alive.  Humans are connected, therefore, to both heaven and earth . For this reason, if life is to be fully lived, it must be lived with the awareness of these two points: dust and breath, as reference points for human identity and meaning. The full development of our personhood must be anchored in the material realities that surround us, but also simultaneously connected to the divine breath. Our relationship with both is vital in becoming fully human. We cannot focus on one to the detriment of the other. To focus on dust at the expense of breath is to be overly materialistic and lose the kingdom of heaven. Listen to what Jesus said in response to the rich young man in Matthew 19:23: “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.” To focus on the breath at the expense of the dust is to be like the Pharisee who denigrated the Publican at prayer in Luke 19. According to Jesus, the Publican went home justified.  We must focus on both at the same time. The two must always interact. The two must always engage with each other. And our lives must be one that honors both material and spiritual realities if we are to find our place and fulfillment as human beings. It is a delicate balance, but it is a dance that we must dance, nonetheless. The truth is, honoring both the breath and the dust as constituent dimensions of being human requires living in the tension between them. But it often feels like we do not have the tools with which to creatively manage the tension between the dust and the breath. The reason is that we are plagued by an inordinate desire and longing, either for the dust or the breath. Listen to what Plato said about human desire and longings : We are fired into life with a madness that comes from the gods and which would have us believe that we can have a great love, perpetuate our own seed, and contemplate the divine. This is the paradox of life: us turning inward, into ourselves, and the desire and longing for breath turn, reflecting a kind of madness that continues to create restlessness within us. The desire and longing for dust turn us inward, into ourselves, and the desire and longing for breath turn us outward, away from ourselves. But the good news is that it is within that tension that we find the sweet spot-the spot that awakens us, enlivens us, renews us, refreshes us, and provides us with a view into our own humanity and that of others. And when we find that sweet spot, it feels like we have found the kingdom of God; we feel liberated. And because of the new freedom that we have found, we commit ourselves to the invitation of that sweet spot, we dedicate ourselves to the values of that sweet spot, and we dive into that sweet spot. And for me, that sweet spot has always been a kind heart, which is both dust and breath, and yet expresses the deep connection between the dust and breath. Our reaction to finding that sweet spot feels like the Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Value. Listen to Jesus: "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then, in his joy, went and sold all he had and bought that field." "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.   When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." These parables point to the shedding off all things to possess that one thing - a kind heart. The heart is the part of the human body that makes life possible while also connecting us emotionally and spiritually with each other. The heart, the seat of human kindness, also holds all the contradictions of our lives. And those contradictions will be on full display as we begin Holy Week, leading up to Good Friday. But our contradictions don’t make us less human; it simply means that we are oriented, either to the dust or to the breath. If there was ever any lesson from faith, it is one that assures us that a faithful balance is less prone to contradictions. Being less prone to contradictions doesn’t make us better human beings; it makes us come fully alive as dust animated by breath.   Manny+ (this is an excerpt from my Wednesday Evening in Lent program. I will share another excerpt next week)

The ashes On my face Are only Show Unless they Rest Thoughtfully On my Heart As well, Reminding me That God Uses Both For Creation.   ~ Pamela Pruitt     Jan. 12, 2024

Theology on Tap returns after Lent, and on April 15, it'll take place from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at  Frisco and the Reckless Shepherd  for great food, drink, and conversation. If you are not familiar with Theology on Tap, this is a time where adults gather for fellowship in a casual, fun environment. Topics can range from current to historical events; nothing is off the table - we welcome all ideas - and everything should inspire lively, insightful dialogue. All adults are welcome and encouraged to join us, and be sure to invite your neighbors and friends as well. If you have any questions,  speak to Ed Chrzanowski or any MOCC member at church, and then meet us at 8895 McGaw Road in Columbia for a fun evening! You can also email  ToT@christchurchcolumbia.org  if that's easier, as we'll answer any questions.

The world now is too dangerous and too beautiful for anything but love. May your eyes be so blessed you see God in everyone. Your ears, so you hear the cry of the poor. May your hands be so blessed that everything you touch is a sacrament. Your lips, so you speak nothing but the truth with love. May your feet be so blessed you run to those who need you. And may your heart be so opened, so set on fire, that your love, your love, changes everything.

Supporting RISE to Help Neighbors in Need in Baltimore County Christ Church continues to join with several congregations in the Baltimore metropolitan area that support RISE, a ministry that offers food and other aid to families who are struggling. The Outreach Commission at its March meeting voted to send $500 for RISE to its founder, Christ the King (CTK). Funds are derived from a Vestry-approved budget and from your contributions to general Outreach. This is in keeping with our mission to support organizations – local, national, and international – that enhance the lives of people in need. Many thanks for your generosity! CTK is an Episcopal parish in the Woodlawn area of Baltimore County whose rector, The Rev. Mary Eliot, is a former assistant rector at Christ Church. During the 2020 pandemic, CTK established RISE to address food insecurity among immigrants and others. The ministry also includes a program helping mothers and babies. RISE conducts twice-monthly distributions of free food, including produce, rice, beans, and maseca. Since January, its volunteers have been feeding 1,360 people per month, of whom 330 to 500 are children. Its partners include the Maryland Food Bank and First Fruits Farm.  In a note of gratitude for our $250 donation last year, CTK’s rector said RISE has fed more than 60,000 people since 2020. “It would not be possible without your support. Thank you from our neighbors and the RISE team,” she said. Food distributions take place at midday on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month at CTK, 1930 Brookdale Rd., 20244, which is just off Security Boulevard in Baltimore County. Volunteers are welcome to help with preparation as well as distribution. For more information and to sign up, go online to “ What is RISE . ” A Land Blessing Takes Place at the Site of The Source Community Center Columbia Community Care (CCC) held a land blessing on March 24 of the future home of The Source , a community center facilitated by Howard County to expand opportunities for young people. Representatives of the Christ Church Outreach Committee attended. CCC Executive Director Erika Chavarria welcomed residents and supporters to the interfaith service. It began with a Native American blessing, followed by prayers from more than a dozen faith leaders from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim congregations. Find a post that begins, “Many traditions. One heartbeat,” on CCC’s   Facebook page . The location at 10750 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. 21045 is the former site of the Columbia Flier building, which Howard County acquired in 2014 and that CCC briefly utilized as a pantry and headquarters. The structure was demolished to make way for what the project’s real estate partner, Columbia Concepts, describes as “an inclusive, financially sustainable community hub.” CCC promotes youth programs , including STAND and PUSH, that will use space at The Source to provide services such as tutoring. The community center​ is expected to house a gymnasium, wellness programs, mental and physical healthcare services, and childcare. Please Bring Diapers, Non-Perishables for CCC/FISH, And Consider Volunteering from Home to Take Phone Calls From Neighbors in Need FISH and Columbia Community Care (CCC) partnered last year and merged their pantries. CCC continues to hand out food at three sites on Saturday mornings and by home delivery to Howard County residents. For information, go online to Get Help . Find CCC updates on its Facebook page . FISH continues to pick up donated goods from Christ Church and others. Please put non-perishable food and personal care products in the altar basket or in a bin just inside the Parish Hall. Look for a combo label “FISH/CCC”. Please bring baby wipes and diapers, especially large sizes. FISH will continue to provide telephone support to Howard County residents, offering guidance and financial assistance, because the personal touch is very important when people are in crisis. For information, ask parishioner and FISH treasurer Andy DeLong (above photo) or email him at andydelong.fish@gmail.com . You could be the one to lend a helping hand by lending an ear! As a phone volunteer, you can help from your home by giving just one day a month to assist those who could benefit from financial assistance from FISH. Training is provided. Thank you always for your support. Kenya Connect 5k Run - March 28 Kenya Connect, an outreach partner of St. John's in Ellicott City, is holding its 12th annual 5K Run/Walk on Saturday, March 28th, at St. John's. The 5K builds community while supporting the work of  Kenya Connect  to provide children with options and new pathways in rural Kenya.  We welcome individual participants or a team from Christ Church. We will have post-race goodies, including a Kenyan crafts market with items made by women and men in our village. We also provide hand-carved medallions from Wamunyu to the top three women and men in all age categories.  In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org . Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.