Dear Friend,

Holy Week is the most solemn year for Christians, running from Palm Sunday through the Great Vigil of Easter. Nearly all of the rituals we celebrate during Holy Week come to us from Jerusalem in the 4th century. They were recorded in a diary by a Spanish nun named Egeria who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in her 70s. She wrote down what she saw, some which survives word for word in our prayers and rituals nearly 1700 years later.

Palm Sunday (April 8/9) begins with the blessing of palms and a joyful commemoration of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, hailed as Messiah and King. Then, the service quickly turns to the Passion, which is always read in parts by members of the congregation following the custom of the early church. It is traditional to read each of the four passion accounts during Holy Week, with Matthew, Mark, or Luke on Palm Sunday, John always on Good Friday, and the other two interspersed throughout the week.

Maundy Thursday (April 13 ) takes its name from the Latin mandatum (command), recalling Jesus' words in John 13:34, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." Jesus then washes the feet of his disciples, which a sign of the agape style of love shown in Jesus' offering of himself for us. Thus, we include foot-washing as a part of our Maundy Thursday rituals as a sign of our servanthood to one another. 

This year, we are adding an agape reception to our rituals. Everyone is invited to gather in the parish hall at 6:30 pm for a reception of light foods and to mingle in fellowship. Around 7:10, we will hear John 17 read (the high priestly prayer of Christ for the world) and then process into church for the 7:30 service.

Maundy Thursday always concludes dramatically after communion with reservation of the remaining sacrament in the chapel, set up as the Garden of Gethsemane, and then the stripping of the Altar to prepare for the solemnity of Good Friday as darkness descends.

Maundy Thursday Watch (April 13, over night). The chapel will be open for prayer in a traditional custom of keeping watch with Jesus in the reserved Sacrament, as Jesus asked his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, "could you not watch with me for one hour?" This will continue until the Good Friday service at Noon.

Good Friday (April 14 - Noon). The service has four principal parts. The first is the chanting of John's account of the Passion, using tones sung since the 600s.  Following the sermon, we offer prayers for the whole world in a series of solemn collects. Then, a cross is brought in for people to gather for personal veneration, just as the faithful gathered for individual prayer before the True Cross in Egeria's day. The service concludes with communion from the Sacrament reserve on Maundy Thursday. Good Friday is the only day of the year in which the Eucharist cannot be celebrated.  The sharing of the remaining communion from Maundy Thursday is similar to the afikomen - the leftover matzah at Passover that is consumed the next day.

Great Vigil of Easter (April 15 - 7:30 pm). The Easter Vigil is the primary service of the Christian year. Every other worship service takes its meaning from this ritual. We gather at sunset in a church that is darkened like a tomb. A fire is lit and blessed, with flame transferred to the new paschal candle. This candle represent the light of Christ casting away darkness. Then follows four Old Testament lessons which retell the first Passover, and then three prophecies of the Resurrection. After the lessons and hymns, we gather at the Baptism font to bless water and renew our baptismal vows. Then, the altar candles are lit and the Easter acclamation that Christ is risen is shouted three times as the lights blaze on, the organ returns to life and the people sing the triumphal human, "He is Risen! He is Risen!" The service concludes with the first Eucharist of Easter, surrounded by Easter glory of lights, bells, flowers, and candles.

Easter Toast and Dessert Reception - just as we begin the Holy Three Days in fellowship with an agape reception, we will conclude them with a toast to the Easter season and sumptuous buffet of rich desserts to mark the end of our Lenten fast.

Easter Day - The Easter Day services are actually the 2nd and 3rd celebrations of Easter offered at St. Peter's. If you attend the Easter Vigil, you have completed your Easter worship and are free to spend time with family and enjoy God's world. If you were not able to join us for the Vigil or just want to come back for more great music and to be with your community, a pew will be here for you!

These sacred observances draw their power from telling the story of God's love for us and power over evil and death. They also draw their power from being with the gathered community. I hope that you will be able to join us as we walk in faith together.

In Christ,
Dirk+
 

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