Easter at St. Luke’s: An invitation to all

LEBANON, PA – St. Luke’s Episcopal Church invites the community to Holy Week and Easter services at the historic church, located at 22 S. 6th Street, Lebanon. Visitors of all kinds are always welcome at St. Luke’s, whether they are guests from out of town, local residents curious about the church building, or spiritual seekers looking for an open and affirming Christian tradition.

The ceremonies of Holy Week include those of Palm Sunday and the Sacred Triduum–Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the liturgies of Easter beginning with the Great Vigil on Saturday evening. The main Holy Week services at St. Luke’s are as follows: Palm Sunday services will be held at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m., the Maundy Thursday service will be at 7:00 p.m., the Good Friday service will be at 7:00 p.m., and the Great Vigil of Easter will be Saturday at 7:15 p.m..

This year, St. Luke’s is partnering with neighboring Hope Episcopal Church of Manheim for select services, including a Good Friday meditation service on the Seven Last Words at noon and a Stations of the Cross service at 2:15 p.m., both to be held at Hope Episcopal Church, 2425 Mountain Road, Manheim.

Easter is the most significant and joyous holiday in The Episcopal Church, and St. Luke’s celebrates this momentous day with two Easter Sunday services: at 8:00 a.m., there will be a Festal Eucharist with organ prelude and Easter hymns led by St. Luke’s Chancel Choir; at 10:30 a.m., there will be a Choral Eucharist, which is a sung service featuring all aspects of St. Luke’s music ministry, including its magnificent Austin organ, the Chancel Choir, and a complement of other instrumental accompanists. Incense, bells, Easter lilies, and gold and white vestments are all part of this spectacular once-a-year event.

This service will be followed by an Easter egg hunt in the church yard, which will include eggs filled with both candy for the children and “St. Luke’s Bucks,” which children will use to “vote” for their favorite children’s charity. After the votes are tabulated, the church will donate a dollar for every “buck” given to that charity. This year, the selected charities are Girls On the Run, the Paloma School, and the Lebanon County Choral Society Youth Chorus.

For a complete schedule of the church’s Holy Week and Easter services, please visit: stlukeslebanon.org/holy-week/.

For details on parking and accessibility, please visit stlukeslebanon.org/parking/.

The Easter season continues for fifty days in the Episcopal Church, and St. Luke’s will celebrate the third Sunday of Easter on April 14 with a Choral Evensong service at 6:00 p.m. Evensong is a completely sung Vespers service preserved through the centuries in English cathedrals and college chapels. A vast amount of literature was written for this daily service, and St. Luke’s is the only church in this area outside of major cities (New York, Philadelphia, Washington) to sing regular Evensong. The Evensong will be followed at 7:00 PM by a jazz concert featuring the Jacob McGovern Quartet. Both events are free and open to the public. A freewill offering will be taken. For details on this and future Evensongs and concerts at St. Luke’s, please visit stlukeslebanon.org/evensongs-concerts/.

Readers with questions about these events or St. Luke’s Episcopal Church are invited to call 717-272-8251 or email admin@stlukeslebanon.org.