Holy Week

We've been having a wonderful Holy Week thus far. Saturday we attended the Saturday of Lazarus Liturgy. A good friend was baptised and received into the church. Another special thing too is that Busy Guy's Ethiopian name (and middle name) is Alazar. Alazar is Lazarus! When I was in Addis people would ask me what my baby's name was and then would tell me, "oh, Alazar from the Bible". I was a bit confused as I didn't remember an Alazar? When I came home I asked an Ethiopian friend about his name and she told me it is the translation of Lazarus! Very special.

Sunday was Palm Sunday. The kids especially enjoyed holding the palms and then processing around the church grounds while signing.

Monday night was the second of three (Sun., Mon., Tues.) Bridegroom Services. It's such a beautiful service. We all attended and had a wonderful time together.

"Behold the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night. Blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching. Unworthy is the one whom He shall find heedless. Beware, then, O my soul, not to be borne down with sleep, lest you be given up to death and be shut out of the Kingdom. Wherefore, rouse yourself crying out: Holy, holy, holy are you, our God."

Tuesday Hubby and Tuba went to the morning Liturgy while Mr. P went to school and Busy Guy and I stayed home.

This morning, Wednesday, Tuba and Hubby have gone to the Liturgy again. It is Tuba's favorite week of the year! He would go to church every day all year long. Tonight is the Holy Unction Service. The sacrament of Holy Unction is the anointing with blessed oil. We believe that when we are anointed, Jesus Christ restores our wholeness both physically and spiritually. This tradition of anointing with blessed oil is recorded in the Epistle of James. It is a beautiful service and one I look forward to each year. I love to see my sweet children with a cross of oil on their foreheads and hands.

More tomorrow about the rest of our week and hopefully pictures of the boys at Holy Unction.