135. hammer pounding nails, bringing tears to my eyes with each resounding strike
136. bringing flowers to decorate His tomb
137. seeing little ones stand before the shroud, praying that I too could may become as a little child, see as they do
138. heady scent of rose water filling the air
139. showers of rose petals, exuberantly thrown by little girls, falling like tears to the ground.
Even the flowers weep over His body
140. young men bearing the burden of His tomb, as Joseph carried His cross to the hill, they lead this somber funeral procession
141. passing under His body, heavy weight of grief
142. walking barefoot through a carpet of rose petals
143. watching the Queen's finger trace the words of the Psalter, hearing her little voice in the dark stillness of the night, taking her turn at the vigil for the first time
144. the peace of a dark, empty church, standing alone before the tomb of my Lord
145. newly chrismated
146. bright white cloths
147. bay leaves floating through the air
148. children with sticks pounding against wood, the gates of Hell are groaning as death is being trampled down!
149. standing in the presence of the body and blood of Christ
150. being able to watch the preparation of THE gifts, heart humbled at the chance to view such a mystery
151. wine to gladden the heart of man after a long week, brief rest before the final stretch
152. dark church, buzzing with the uncontained excitement of what is to come
153.single candle burning in the darkness, gradually becoming 300, filling the darkness with light
154. warm night air, no coats or umbrellas needed!
155. bells ringing, shouting the news to the dark and quiet night
156. clergy all in shining white,
157. fists pounding at the doors, demanding they be opened for the King of Glory
158. holy doors flung open wide
159. singing The Angel Cried
160. feasting with family and friends
161. Pascha egg cake pops!
162. 17 services in 7 days, 15 hours of prayer, praise and celebration in 3 days, everyone falling into bed exhausted, happy sleep
163. Christ is Risen - the only gift I truly need
Your pictures tell the wonderful story well. Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a truly amazing experience...thankful that the story continued from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday- He is alive!
ReplyDeleteIndeed He is Risen! Wonderful photos, the family did a dry run of cake balls and cake pops before Pascha but decided it was too much work... now after seeing your egg pops, I've got to add that in for next year, the kids would love to share them at the basket blessing after Liturgy)
ReplyDeleteas much as I would love to take credit :) I did not make the cake pops, a young girl in our church did them - I just thought they were spectacular!!! maybe next year I will give them a try
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the pictures of this sacred celebration. He is risen, indeed!
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I couldn't be at service this year since I had a baby just days before, but your post really made me feel a part of it. I missed Pascha services terribly. Thank you, thank you for posting all these photos!
ReplyDeleteThere is something so sacred, so originally beautiful in the Orthodox worship. I'm in such the middle place, not Orthodox, nor Roman Catholic, nor mainline Protestant - just a believer in Our Lord - Our Father, and Son, and Holy Spirit. I normally pick a favorite from the list, but I just heart it all. God Bless you Anna, you and all of yours. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteCHRIST IS RISEN!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words and pictures! Christ is risen!
ReplyDelete