By Eliza Pieschel
A few weeks ago, Christians celebrated Easter and Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday on March 24, and for most, ending on Easter Sunday, the day commemorating the resurrection of Jesus.
On the Thursday before Good Friday, Rev Allen had a morning communion service to recognize Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday is the day of The Last Supper, the day Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, and the day he was arrested.
The Thursday communion service started with readings from John 13 and a summary of the importance of Easter and Maundy Thursday. Students were then invited to go to the front of the chapel to dip their hands in water, like how Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, and go through communion.
I talked to Rev Allen about the morning communion service and chapel that day. When he first came to Lovett, about 25 years ago, the school did communion in chapel on Easter, instead of having it as a separate, optional service. He felt it was more important for students not to be forced into participation so that it is more meaningful.
The Maundy Thursday communion took place during the time LCF meets. LCF stands for Lovett Christian Fellowship. Rev Allen is the club organizer and told me that it is mainly run by a student leadership club of about 15 students. They meet on Thursdays before school and have food and speakers to talk about Christianity.
“It’s a time every week that students can have a good breakfast and there is always a devotional talk that lifts people,” Rev Allen told me. While chapel is meant to be accessible to all, LCF leans more heavily on a Christian message, but anyone can go. He also informed me that speakers are usually local youth group leaders, teachers, coaches, pastors, and such.
Rev Allen usually spends Easter with his family. His grown-up kids come home and they go to church, play pickleball and cornhole, have a barbeque, and just lots of family time which they value. He told me his family had always been big church-goers as he was growing up and that he liked Easter because it was more reflective and focused.
The Chapel service on Thursday was all about Sacrifice because of Jesus’ sacrifice that Easter celebrates. Many Christians give up something for Lent leading up to Easter to highlight the importance and significance of sacrifice. Rev Allen said that historically he hasn’t given anything up for Lent, but in recent years he has started doing it. This year, he fasted for one day a week as a sacrifice.
I followed up the sermon on sacrifice by asking students what sacrifice meant to them. A lot of them hesitated to answer because the questions and ideas were pretty deep. “Giving up” was used in every answer. “Giving up something of benefit to me to benefit others in the long run,” was freshman Elizabeth Dellinger’s answer.
Freshman Ann Reed Taylor defined sacrifice as giving “up something to obtain something of greater value.” Freshman Anniston Almond said it was giving “up something for the greater good that you find important.” The big idea was that sacrifice is giving up something even if you don’t want to, for the benefit of someone else or the greater good.
“The importance of sacrifice is to show your commitment, love, and loyalty. It can be hard but the result is something better than what you gave up,” freshman Catherine Zelnak said. “You connect with people on a deeper level because it shows how much you care.”
