Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-26
Sc. Paul,s Episcopal Church.

The Easter Sunday observance at ST.
PauPs church was characterized with unu-
sual interest, and all the congregations
of the day were exceptionally large. The
floral offerings were in excellent taste
The appropriate Easter flower. the Gala
lily, being mingled in the decorations
quite profusely; while roses and other
floral tokens of the newborn spfing lent
their charms to the Easter Joy.
At the eleven O'Clock service, with the
holy communion, the church was filed to
its complete capacity; extra chairs, ETC.,
filling all available space, to accommodate
the large congregation of worshipers. This
musical service was in accordance with the
order published in Sunday mornings
GLoBE, and was so rendered as to be most
admirably expressive of the theme Of the
occasion, and possessed an impressiveness
which distinguished the entire observance
The rector, Rev. DR.. E. s. Thomas, read
the first verse of the twentieth chapter of
John.
The first day of the week came Mary
Magdalene early, when it was yet dark unto
the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken
away.
With much emotion the speaker re-
marked that so that she might not be dis
turbed in her offering of prayer and con-
secration Mary proceeded at the early
hour of morning to the sepulcher, to find
the stone taken away, that her Lord had
risen and she stood by an open grave.
When at the beginning of Lent he had
announced the subject, san Open Grave"
for the Easter Sunday sermon, he little
thought how fitting it would be to the wants
of the congregation accustomed there to
worship. During the Lenten period, day by
day he had been called upon to stand by
the closing graves of members of the
church and parish. As he had sat
by his table in the vain effort to
write the sermon he had hoped to present,
he was oppressed with the sense of loss
that would be irreparable but for the Easter
hope. Friend after friend had been laid
away to rest, but az Christ was the first fruit
Of the resurrection, his open grave was the
symbol of our hope. AS the Easter morn
ing dawned he did not find in his heart the
Easter Joy, but looked forward to
gloomy Easter oppressed by the pail of
death.
But the occasion had brought On unusu-
al spiritual joy. The largest body of
communicates to whom he had ever ad-
ministered the holy communion were
present at the O'Clock morning service,
and the largest congregation he had ever
greeted in st. Psurs church were before
aim offering tAeir Easter praise.
Why was the holy communion observed
on Easter day? The canon of the church
required that the communion be received
not less than three times a year, and on
one OF these at Easter. The presence at
the communion table was not TO be under
stood as proclaiming badge of righteous
ness, but az a sacrifice, and the definition
OF sacrifice is Offering. We offer the bread
and wine as symbols Of the broken body
and shed blood of our dear Lord; we offer
our substance to show that we are merely
stewards of the Lord; we offer conservation
Of body and soul to the Lord, and thus our
sacrifice is praise and thanksgiving; the
Eucharist itself is a grand sacrifice of
praise, thanksgiving and thankfulness to
Christ for his open grave.
DR.. Thomas concluded with an earnest
invitation to sll present, of whatever de-
nominational communion or church to
meet the Lord at his own table.
The Easter offering was for the mission
airy fund, DR.. Thomas mentioning that he
needed $175 to make the fund $1,000.