The ugliest weekend of the year!

Every year on the weekend prior to All Saints Day (the Christian version of Halloween!) we at Chapel Hill celebrate St. Andrews Sunday. This is a moment for us to look back at our Scottish roots and celebrate the lives of our spiritual ancestors. It is very Scottish—bagpipes and everything! (I know, it can sound like squeezing a bag of cats, but I love them.)

This is always a powerful weekend of worship and there are several things you’ll want to remember.

Wear tartan! (That’s “plaid” for you uninitiated!) The sea of tartan spread before me is always a little garish, but it is very fun.
The three weekend services will be identical, all of them in the sanctuary. Take note, Saturday night folks. And if you normally worship on Sundays, we’d love to have 100 of you join us on Saturday night.
I will resume my series in Romans. And this weekend—FINALLY—Paul gets us to the incredible good news. In fact, one commentator describes this text as perhaps the “most important paragraph ever written.” You don’t want to miss Romans 3.
And of course, the service will culminate in our remembrance of the saints of Chapel Hill who have gone on to be with the Lord. It is always a poignant moment in our church’s life.

Significantly, this weekend also corresponds with the celebration of the 500^th anniversary of the day Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the Wittenberg Church doors. He didn’t intent to start a movement that would rupture the Catholic church and change the course of Western civilization—but that’s exactly what happened. You’ll want to be seated early for the video that will explain all of this at the very beginning of the worship service.

So, in short, don’t miss St. Andrews weekend: three identical services in the sanctuary, consider coming on Saturday night…and wear your ugliest tartan to celebrate!

I love this weekend; I hope you will too.

Pastor Mark

PS – If you are interested in joining me for my Reformation Study Tour June 16-28 or have already signed up, join Cyndi and me on November 5 at 6:00 pm in the Memorial Chapel for an information night. I will give you a taste of the teaching we will share in the very sites where Martin Luther and John Calvin changed the world. Contact Kathy Berry to confirm a spot for yourself.