Taconic-Berkshire Region

Whitsun Services — Sunday, Monday & Tuesday — May 23, 24 & 25

the Act of Consecration of man

Whitsun comes ten days after the Ascension. This has been a most glorious Ascension time for our congregation and for The Christian Community as a whole, in that we have consecrated eight new women priests into the priest circle. The walk from Ascension to Whitsun gives us the reassurance of Christ's mediating presence in the realm of earth. The WHITSUN event brings with it a call to our true humanity as individuals.

"Thus two pictures stand side by side in the history of humanity. The Ascension picture tells us that the Deed of Golgotha was fulfilled for the physical body and the etheric body in the universal human sense. Whitsun tells us that each single human being must make this Deed bear fruit in themselves by receiving the Holy Spirit,"

—Rudolf Steiner "The Festivals and their Meaning."

Whitsun Festival Celebration:

9:15 am — Children's Story and singing. Whitsun is the Festival of Flowers. Each child should bring a flower to offer for the Whitsun Festival Table.

10:00 am — Children's Service: A special Whitsun Message comes to the children on this day.

10:30 am — The Act of Consecration of Man

12:00 am — "Toward Mutuality" - Eurythmy Performance

12:30 pm — Potluck

1:15 pm — Whitsun Conversation in the Church.

There will be Whitsun Services on Monday, May 24th & Tuesday May 25th at 9:00 am

The Gospel Reading for the three days of Whitsun • John 14: 23-31

“Those who truly love me will keep my word; and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and dwell with them forever.  Whoever does not love me does not keep my word; and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. The Comforter, the giver of spirit-courage, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things; through the Spirit, you will remember everything I have spoken to you. 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I go away, and I come again to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice because I have said, 'I go to the Father, for my Father is greater than I.' And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. From now on, I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. But he has no power over me; I fulfill the task the the Father has given me, that the world may know I love the Father. Arise, let us go from this place."

Whitsunday, May 23, 12:00 noon, Eurythmy Performance.

Towards Mutuality, Music, Eurythmy, and Poetry

We look forward to sharing with you some new works!  During the last year, we continued to work on one of the ‘Corn’ pieces by Dorothy Haller, Rise, Golden Corn! weaving joy and lightness and drama!  We will also perform As Kingfishers Catch Fire by Gerard Manley Hopkins - a lyrical and complex sonnet on how the spirit lives in each of us.  There will be original compositions by Gregor Simon-MacDonald and a guest visit from Christa Macbeth, who will speak for us some lines from the Birmingham Jail Letter by Martin Luther King Jr. and lines from Intimations by J. Redwood Anderson.

We will perform at the Christian Community at 12 noon on May 23rd and we hope you will join us! Eurythmists: Victoria Sander, Lynne Stolfo, Karin Haldeman, and Jeanne Simon-MacDonald
For more information contact Jeanne at gregorjeanne@gmail.com, (518)-672-7367