HOLY WEEK
Maundy Thursday
APRIL 14 at 7 P.M.
The term ‘Maundy’ comes from the Latin word, mandatum which means ‘mandate’ or ‘commandment’. Traditionally, Maundy Thursday, in some form, has been celebrated since some of the earliest days of the Church. During this evening together we remember and rehearse the night Jesus humbly and sacrificially washed his disciples feet and with whom he shared his final meal before being betrayed. On this night Jesus gave his final commandment to His disciples, and to us His church today, that we should love one another just as He has loved us. That night Jesus modeled this love for us in the washing of the disciples feet and by using the Passover meal as a shadow and symbol of his sacrificial death on the cross, as symbolized in the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper.
The humility Jesus showed by taking off his outer robe to wash the disciples feet was just a preview to the greater reality of his being stripped naked and publicly shamed – to wash their hearts, and ours. The practice of sharing this Passover meal with his disciples was a physical representation of the greater reality of his giving of his life – his body and blood – so that we might live with him in his coming kingdom. Maundy Thursday is a time to remember the sacrificial love of Jesus and his command to love each other as he has loved us. It is an opportunity to rehearse this love together and share a vision of His coming kingdom of divine love.
During this service we will worship together through song and the reading and preaching of God’s Word.
Consider reading the following passages in preparation for this special evening:
Luke 22:14-18, John 13, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Good Friday
APRIL 15 at 7:00 p.m.
On Friday we will remember the betrayal, death and burial of Jesus Christ. During this service we will sing, pray, and hear scripture readings leading up to Jesus’ death and the final sayings of Jesus on the cross.
During a portion of the time that Jesus hung on the cross, the Gospel of Mark tells us that darkness covered the land for a time. This evening is a somber time of increasing darkness that rehearses the true Light of the World being extinguished on the cross for our sins.
To conclude our evening together we will have a time of silent prayer and meditation. We won’t meet again until Sunday morning for our online service stream celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and defeat of sin, death, and hell.
Suggested Reading:
Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19
Easter Sunday
APRIL 17 at 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Easter Sunday comes at the conclusion of Holy Week and is a time of great joy and hope in the victory of Christ on the cross over our spiritual enemies of sin, death, and hell. Easter Sunday is the culmination of Jesus life, death, and victory over the grave. Easter is a time to celebrate Jesus’ glorious resurrection but also the implications of that resurrection: from our being dead in our sins and raised with Jesus to our future hope of resurrected bodies and a new heaven and a new earth. As we remember and rejoice in the Resurrection, our eternal hope in Jesus is renewed.
Lastly, Easter is the story of true hope and victory that causes all other false stories of our world to pale in comparison to that hope. As we behold Jesus in His resurrection we are being reshaped and reformed into the people that God has called us to be.
Suggested Reading:
Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, 1 Corinthians 15