Jennifer, Anneliese, and I visited St. Louis for Easter this year. My grandmother, who is 92, is quite ill, and we wanted to be sure to see her and introduce her to Anneliese.
We traveled down during the day on Good Friday and had dinner with my parents, and then we attended Good Friday services at Good Shepherd, Manchester, MO. They do a wonderful Tenebrae service, and as they extinguish the candles one by one, the lights in the sanctuary dim until it is completely pitch black. At the end of the service, the lit Christ candle was recessed down the isle and out of the sanctuary, there is a terrific BOOM (the strepitus), and then the candle was processed back in. Quite an awe-inspiring night.
Saturday we visited Grandma Carnahan. That was a really moving experience, as even though she can’t see or hear well, and her memory is basically gone, she remembered that there was a baby, and she got to hold Anneliese by the foot. It really meant a lot to me. I had the pleasure of having Hari Santhanam over to talk that afternoon for a while, and we caught up on what we had been doing in the last few years. We attended Easter Vigil at Good Shepherd, and I was invited to come and preach in June – so that’s something to look forward to. After that some of the family gathered back at my parents’ house for make-your-own personal pizzas.
Sunday was Easter, of course, and the service was beautiful. What more can I say? Afterward we spent the day with my parents. Then on Monday, we made the 8+ hour trek home.
