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When I was growing up, my mom would drag me to church. It was fine once we got there, as I always loved the Eucharist, but I really was not a big fan of forgoing a quiet Sunday morning at home. Then one year, she had the audacity to drag me to church on a weekday. Didn’t she know I had homework, chores, and friends to talk with on the phone? UGH. While I found the whole thing a big inconvenience, my mom gave me one of her looks that told me to lose my attitude because it was time to go.
That night, something was distinctly different. The tone of the worship had shifted from that of a Sunday morning. The community was quieter, more solemn. It was startling enough that I paid attention. I didn’t fully grasp what was happening in the liturgy, what the greater story was, but I left knowing it was important, and with this strange sense that whatever was going on, it had a deep impact on me even if I was unaware of what that thing was.
We went to church every night that week. The momentum of the worship kept building, a climactic point was drawing near, until finally, the joy burst forth from the empty tomb on Easter Sunday.
I didn’t know it at the time, but what I had just walked through was Holy Week. Even though I didn’t follow everything that was happening, the further we traveled, the deeper the liturgy spoke to me--even without knowing what it all meant.
Walking through Holy Week is a dance, a movement, a painting that you dive deeper and deeper into with each passing day. It strips away the pretense of our everyday lives, and forces us to examine God’s love for us, and how we return that love to God, our neighbors, and all of creation. The inner movement and pull that can happen to us each Holy Week, can transform our relationship with God, and our understanding of how to live. For that reason, I’ve never missed a chance to dance through Holy Week since. We brought our newborns, our toddlers slept in the pews, our grade school children look wide eyed at the extra candles, the darkness of good Friday, and the new fire at the Easter Vigil. Like my experience as a tween in the church, my kids don’t quite know what the full picture is about, but they know something BIG is happening.
This year, I invite you to join the clergy in a journey through Holy Week. Whether you are young or old, busy or bored, come and engage in the inner dance as the liturgy and space calls us further into the mystery, the grace, and the love that is our Almighty God.
Yours,
Rev. Heather
Journey through Holy Week
Palm Sunday—April 14
9:00 a.m. Palm Sunday Worship will begin in our Parish Hall with a procession that will lead us back into the church. This service recalls Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, music, and Holy Eucharist with one combined service. Please note this liturgy is different from traditional Palm Sunday liturgies, in that the Passion Gospel is not read until Good Friday. Join the event on facebook.
Holy Monday—April 15
7:00 p.m. This contemplative service of worship in the Taize tradition includes sung and chanted prayer, brief readings, and silence for meditation. Join the event on facebook.
Holy Tuesday—April 16
7:00 p.m. We will offer a healing service where the community is invited to gather together to offer healing, hope, and thanksgiving. Join the event on facebook.
Holy Wednesday—April 17
9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist in chapel
7:00 p.m. Compline, often referred to as bedtime prayers, in the church. Join the event on facebook.
Maundy Thursday—April 18
7:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Worship in church. This service features music, the ceremony of the foot washing, anointing oil, with celebration of the institution of the Eucharist, and the stripping of the altar. Join the event on facebook.
8:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Vigil
Good Friday—April 19
11:00 a.m. Stations in the Street. A new perspective on the traditional stations of the cross. They will begin and end in front of the church. Join the event on facebook.
7:00 p.m. Good Friday Worship. This service commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus, and includes a reading of the Passion gospel, music, solemn prayers, and communion from Reserve Sacrament.
Join the event on facebook.
Easter Vigil—April 20
7:00 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter in the church. This service is the primary celebration of Easter, beginning in darkness. The worship features the kindling of new fire, lighting the Paschal candle, the Exsultet, music, readings from the Hebrew Scriptures, the renewal of our baptismal vows, and the Eucharist. Join the event on facebook.
Easter Sunday—April 21
8:00 a.m. Easter Sunday Worship in the chapel. A celebration of Christ’s resurrection with Holy Eucharist.
10:00 a.m. Easter Sunday Worship in the church. A celebration of Christ’s resurrection with music and Holy Eucharist followed by Coffee Hour in the Parish Hall. Join the event on facebook.
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