Easter Sunday, the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, takes place on the 1st Sunday following the Paschal full moon (the first full moon of spring).

First reading and Psalm
Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

Second reading
Acts 10:34-43

Gospel Reading
John 20:1-18

In life we have moments of both feasting and fasting.  There are times when it is appropriate to gather friends together and have a celebration of richness, but there are also times when to celebrate so richly seems disingenuous to the situation.

Lent and Easter, among many things, allow us to embody moments of joy and sorrow and see them gathered up in the Person and Passion of Jesus.  The gathering at the Cross culminates our Fast, our celebration of the Resurrection begins the days of Feasting.  The patient seeker finds God is in both places. Since somewhere around the 15th century Christians, particularly in the Ukraine and Poland, have marked the end of Lent with a blessing of festal baskets.  It is the ‘first meal’, blessed in the church, to mark our entry into a season of feasting - the 50 days of Easter.  It is a reminder as well of how our lives at home and at church are to be connected.

A blessing will be offered as part of our celebration liturgy at St. Augustine’s on Easter Sunday 10am.  If you wish join in, this will prove a fine way for you to enter into the liturgical act of Easter. If you wish, kids may bring a basket of goodies to be blessed as well!

Option A – bring a selection of items from your own tradition that you will eat for Easter brunch/dinner.  Decorate the basket, add a candle and a nice cloth, and bring the basket to church Easter Sunday.  You may want to include some of the traditional items below as well.

Option B – Below are the traditional items included in such a basket which gather up the whole story of Christ’s Passion in their symbolism.  You may decorate the basket with greens and embroidered cloth.

1. Paska – A sweet yeast bread rich in eggs and butter symbolic of Christ himself, the true bread.  Paska is traditionally round in shape, decorated with a dough braid around the perimeter and an ornamental cross in the center which marks the means of Christ’s death.
2. Baked Ham – Symbolic of the great joy and abundance of God’s grace shown in Christ.  Lamb or Veal may be chosen.
3. Kobasa – A spicy, garlicky, smoked pork sausage indicative of God’s favor and generosity.
4. Red Beet vinaigrette with Horseradish (or just horseradish) – reminiscent of the suffering of Christ in color and bitterness.  Sweetened with sugar on account of the resurrection.
5. Salt – necessary for flavor and a reminder of Christians to be delightful servants in the world.
6. Butter – Often nicely displayed.  Symbolic of the goodness of Christ. (Butter makes all things better!)
7. Cheese – A reminder for Christians to live in a life of balance and moderation.  The cheese is often creamed and presented in a similar way to the butter.
8. Eggs – Jesus breaks forth from the tomb as a chick breaks from its shell.  The eggs may be decorated as a sign of how the resurrection transforms the tomb into a place where life is celebrated.

This is a story we can taste!  “Taste and see that the Lord is Good!”

May your preparations for Easter be holy and fruitful for your spirit as well as your body.

Our young people will be joining the main service for Easter Sunday worship this week.

Hopefully they will bring an Easter basket and join in the blessing ceremony. 

Easter is a time of rejoicing, renewal ... and a time of surprises!!

In loving memory of Raymond Green, Barrie Ewasuik, Frank & Emma Ellaby, Margaret Spark, Betty King     -     from Margaret Green

In loving memory of Fred & Natasha     -     from Eileen Perlau

In loving memory of Alan & Doreen Rennie     -     from Janine Koller & family

Eileen Fairbrother

Abilio Nunes

Joe Sparling

We hope that everyone can join us this Sunday to enjoy hot cross buns with their coffee!!

Thank you so much to June Greig for organising this, ordering and picking up the buns - it is very much appreciated.

TICKET LINK: $20 in advance, $25 at the door
https://www.eventbrite.ca/.../gords-gold-a-tribute-to...

The Edmonton Grandmothers are hosting their spring fabric Frenzy on April 27, from 9 am to 3:30 pm, at Strathearn United Church, 8510 95 Ave NW, Edmonton.

Find fabrics, yarn, notions and craft supplies for bargain prices!

All proceeds go to the Stephen Lewis Foundation to support grandmothers in Africa.  

Keep an eye out for this month's menu!!

If anyone would like a copy of the Parish Directory, please contact the office, by phone or email, and one will be sent out to you.

Bishop Stephen London invites youth from the Edmonton diocese to join him at an Ecumenical Youth Event, hosted by the Alberta Synod & the Territories, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. This will be an opportunity for Anglican, Lutheran and Moravian youth to connect over food, games and conversations. The event will be hosted by Trinity Lutheran Church, 10014 81 Ave NW, Edmonton, on Sunday, April 14, from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. Click here to register

We welcome Bishop Steve on May 19^th this year to celebrate Confirmation, Baptism, and Anglican Reception.

Confirmation for baptized people is a chance to receive a simple prayer that the Spirit be present and released in your life.  Confirmation is an adult reception of baptism and is associated with several sessions of preparation that cover our way of Christian life in the world.  In confirmation, the bishop lays hands on the head of each candidate and prays for them.  Jonathan would like to provide mentors for each candidate for confirmation to support them in prayer and conversation.

Baptism is our simple entry into Christian faith for people of any age who have not been baptized before.  As we receive baptism in water and in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and are marked with chrism (blessed, fragrant oil), we offer ourselves to receive the love and promises of God and to join the church as the family of faith.  Baptism is not about what we know, but about the direction we set ourselves towards in life.

Anglican Reception is by no means a requirement or even an encouragement for members of St. A’s.  However, sometimes we feel we want to ‘plant down’ and say we are ‘here.’

If any of these ceremonies catch your attention, please let Rev. Jonathan know.  Preparation for confirmation will begin in Lent and baptismal preparation in May.  Jonathan will need some confirmation mentors as well.

Opportunity to Speak into Future of the Diocese

The Hanley Home Group welcomes you to join us weekly as we share lives,fellowship, and discussion on scripture, church topics, and anything else we find interesting!

These cold winter afternoons give us a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a relaxing time ofconversation with friends.

This session we will focus on a another one of Rev. Dr. BarbaraBrown Taylor’s well-known books. Holy Envy is filled with warmth and humour as Taylorrecounts her experiences of discovering the sacred in unexpected places while teaching the aWorld Religions course to undergraduates in rural Georgia. Her deep and reflective thoughtsreveal how God delights in confounding her expectations! We will also include material from other sources to add richness to our conversation.

Sharing in circle has a long history of transformation and community strength in both indigenous and addictions recovery traditions.

Administration, address updates, etc: Cheryl at office@staugustinesedmonton.com, 780-466-5532