Dearest Saints,
Well, my friends, we are half-way through Lent. In just a few weeks, we will begin Holy Week waving palm fronds and shouting Hosanna. Easter will follow right behind. But we need to be careful that we don’t jump too quickly from the parade of Palm Sunday to the party of Easter without first walking down the rocky trail of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
It’s easy to do. The rhythm of our society isn’t set up for midweek worship. And the rest of the world doesn’t pause at noon on Good Friday. Sometimes I wonder if the events of Jesus’ final days can be too difficult to bear. Yet, it’s important to understand that we can’t experience new life with walking through death. The cross and resurrection must be held together, or we will miss it – we’ll miss the wholeness, the holiness, of Holy Week.
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Our joy on Easter morning will be enhanced by faithful worship throughout the week. And PCLT is offering some very special services: On Maundy Thursday, we remember Jesus’ gathering with his friends for a meal and foot washing before his betrayal. There will be a seder supper at 5:30 p.m. At the 7:00 p.m. worship service, we will share the Lord’s Supper, wash feet, and strip the sanctuary of all its adornments. We continue our worship of the three holy days at 7 p.m. on Good Friday with a Tenebrae (which means darkness) service. In contemplation, we will hear the events leading up to the cross and the seven last words of Jesus. At the end of the service, we will drape the remaining elements – Pulpit, Font, Light, and Cross – and depart in silence because until Easter morning there is simply nothing more to say. On Easter Sunday, we celebrate for He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! We will gather for food and fellowship beginning at 10 a.m. Overflow parking and shuttles will be available throughout the morning. Before the service, we will adorn the cross with flowers as we remember the new life shown to us in the resurrection. We begin the worship service outside to process together following the new light. May our overflowing joy and gratitude be evident and unstoppable as we worship the One who gives us new life. Please join us, invite your friends and neighbors, as we journey together through this holiest of weeks. With you in Christ’s embrace, Laura |
