The Saint George’s Choir and Choristers sing Choral Evensong. Music by Jessica French, Käthe Kaufmann, and John Ireland. The prelude begins at 3:45 pm and a festive reception follows the service.

Choral Evensong in this church is a tiny fragment of something else: it is part of the worship which is offered to God by Christian people every hour of the day and night, in every part of the world. When you come to Evensong here, it is as if you were dropping in on a conversation already in progress – a conversation between God and God’s people which began long before you were born and which will continue long after your death. So, do not be surprised or disturbed if there are some things which you do not understand straight away. For a brief moment, you step into the continual stream of worship which is being offered today and which will be offered to the end of time. You are one with those who worship here on earth and in heaven.

Join us in the small church parking lot for a two-hour ride to Alexandria and possibly National Harbor. Almost all of ride will be along bike lanes or bike trails. Be sure to wear a helmet! Rain date May 10. Contact Mike Nelson (703-598-5187 or mnelson@pobox.com) if you have questions.

NOTE THE SPECIAL SERVICE TIMES. Choirs and Brass at Both Services. We continue the Easter celebration that was begun at the Vigil the night before. We have a joy-filled liturgy and give thanks for Jesus' triumph over death and the new life that he shares with us. There will also be an Easter egg hunt in between the services at 10:30 a.m. and a special festive coffee hour hosted by the vestry after both services. It will be wonderful to share our Nave with family, friends and neighbors! Note: Easter is a season that just begins on the Day of the Resurrection. The Easter season is called the Great Fifty Days. The Great Fifty Days culminate with the Day of Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit) on Sunday, June 8, 2025.

The night before Easter is the Christian Passover. We commemorate Jesus passing from death into new life. We begin in the courtyard and light a fire against the darkness of the night. From the fire, we light the Paschal candle, the big candle that represents Christ as the Light of the world. We then light our individual candles from the Paschal candle and process into a darkened church that has been adorned for Easter. The Paschal candle is placed beside the baptismal font and we gather around to hear the cantor sing a beautiful, ancient piece called the Exsultet that expresses the mystery and majesty of this most holy night. Then, we are all seated and hear the story of salvation history, readings from the Old Testament, interspersed with especially lovely music. Then, we proclaim, "Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia! "All of the lights are lit and we ring bells, sing an Easter hymn, and hear the Epistle and Gospel reading. Then we celebrate the Eucharist with special joy and fervor, giving thanks for all that Christ has done and is doing for us and through us. (Note: In the early church, this was THE night for baptism.)

During the Maundy Thursday liturgy, we celebrate Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples before his betrayal and crucifixion. Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum and refers to the new commandment that Jesus gave his disciples to love one another. There are two special focal points for this service, the foot washing and the institution of the Eucharist. After the sermon, those who wish to participate are invited to come forward to have their feet washed and to wash one other person's feet. We do this to commemorate Jesus' symbolic action of washing his disciple’s feet in anticipation of his death. He tells them "Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." As we celebrate the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday, we become aware that we carry on the tradition that Jesus himself instituted on the night before his death. The Holy Eucharist is at the very heart of our life in Christian community. After the Eucharist, we strip the altar in preparation for the starkness of Good Friday. This reminds us that Jesus' body was stripped before he was crucified. A member of the choir will chant Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?" while this is being done. We depart in silence and deep contemplation.