A Reflection from Pastor Hayden

We asked Pastor Hayden to describe his first experience of the Three Days at Gloria Dei. Here’s what he had to say!

This was only my second or third time ever doing the Three Days, anywhere. To say I was blown away by my first experience of the Three Days at Gloria Dei would be an understatement! I have deep respect for the worship traditions of the church, and the practice of the Easter Vigil goes way back. But I was particularly struck by the creativity and freshness with which we managed to tell the stories through a mix of song, video, poetry, image, light, and live story-telling. But I am already getting ahead of myself! It was a great weekend, and as a still relatively new member of the staff, it was a great bonding experience. These three days were "all hands on deck" in the best way, and everyone stepped up to make these services a success. The teamwork was fantastic.

Through all of Lent I enjoyed worshipping in the Looking Within Center around the Cross. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in the Looking Within Center were the perfect way to close out our use of that space in the season. The cross took on all kinds of additional meaning in the context of those two services. I also enjoyed having the altar and old baptismal font in that space. It was a great space for the numbers we had at the morning services on Thursday and Friday, and those two mornings were an intimate exploration of Jesus' last days. In the evening, the communion experience at Maundy Thursday was unforgettable. As we sat around tables discussing where we had seen love and abundance, we could have kept talking for another 20 minutes. It truly had the feel of sitting down for a delicious meal with family and friends. Good Friday evening was powerful. The contrast of the bright colors of the paper on which we wrote our laments with the act of pinning them to the cross in the dark space provided a rich source of reflection. Dave and Marla shared messages that allowed me to name and claim memories, confessions, and losses from the past few years. The music was thoughtful, and deep.

I must say, though, that the highlight of the weekend for me was the Easter Vigil. You could walk into that service knowing next to nothing about God, faith, Scripture, or Jesus, and leave having experienced a good amount of the story of God's love for us in Christ. The whole service is a visceral experience of God's movement in our lives from death to new life. I've studied worship as a drama in which we all take on certain roles, but we truly acted out the story of the faith together on Saturday night. As we celebrated baptisms (congrats, Stefan and Delaney!), and remembered our own, Jesus came to life anew in the very room we inhabited. As the lights came up, and Harold jammed on the keys, joy abounded, and all roads led to the table: to both tables, that is--communion, sure, but also the extravagant feast beyond the sanctuary doors! A huge thanks to the many volunteers who made the weekend happen, whether by folding cranes, hiding eggs, changing over space, or cooking food. And, thanks to all who came out for the services. I hope they were as meaningful to you as they were to me. Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!!