April 2018
From the Rector’s desk by Rev. Anthony MacWhinnie, II Alleluia! Christ is Risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! It’s that time of the year when we get all our Alleluias out as much as we can. We’ve been deprived for months now and we can’t seem to hold them back! And I think it’s a good thing… The word “alleluia” itself comes from Latin, Greek, and Hebrew roots. It means “God be praised” or “Praise Jehovah” or “Praise ye Jehovah.” Hallelu-Jah. Praise Jehovah! It begs the question for me, have we NOT been praising Jehovah during Lent? Well obviously we have been, but the idea here is that we’ve been holding back in a way. Our natural position should be to praise Jehovah in all things and for all things, in all people and for all people. It is a deprivation to hold back that praise. We deprive ourselves of our natural state in Lent, that of praising Jehovah, and of commending that praise in others, when we abstain from saying the word “alleluia.” All of a sudden, not saying “alleluia” in Lent seems like a dangerous thing to me. We make light of it, but it is dangerous. And it is unnatural to our being. On Easter morning, we have the privilege of getting back to where we were created to be, in a position of praise for our Creator. Easter restores us in more ways than one. We are redeemed. Death is overcome by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are saved, once and for all. We are restored to our natural place in the uni-
Our Staff & Vestry Rev, Anthony MacWhinnie, II, Rector Vestry: Beth Woods - Senior Warden, Jim Warner - Junior Warden Dora Giles—Treasurer Susan Early & Margaree Mills-Fitchett Twinette McDonald - Music Director Sally Putters - Parish Nurse
verse. That is the power of Easter. You are saved! I thank God for you. I praise Jehovah for making you. He did a good thing there, in case you didn’t know. And in case you didn’t, God does know. Easter was for you! This was all for you. And that is why we say “Alleluia!” Praise ye Jehovah! Peace, Anthony+