Westminster Presbyterian Church, Alexandria Va

Throughout the season of Lent, the sermons will feature the poems of George Herbert (1593-1633), a Welsh poet and Anglican priest who wrote between the Age of Shakespeare and the Age of Milton. Five poems, published in 1633 in The Temple, formed the basis of Ralph Vaughan Williams “Five Mystical Songs,” written between 1906 and 1911. The poems are “Easter,” “I Got Me Flowers,” “Love Bade Me Welcome,” “The Call,” and “Antiphon.” On Palm Sunday, the choir will present all five mystical songs. Today, using the poem “Easter,” Dr. Larry R. Hayward explores how we might embrace the cross as Christ embraced the cross, living our daily lives in the most ordinary way: serving others. The Scripture lesson is John 10:11-18.