When I was in high school, I started a Youth Choir at my church, and since we were the last choir to come into existence we got to sing at all the fun services (that no one else wanted to do.) One of the services that we sang at was the Easter Vigil. I had never been to this service before, but I discovered it to be a beautiful, though very long, experience. It celebrates the dawn of the light, and is the first celebration of Easter.
This service has deep roots in the Passover celebration, and so includes a number of stories from the Hebrew Scriptures, narrating God’s saving acts in history. It is also historically a service of baptism, a time of welcoming in the adult catechumens who had been preparing throughout Lent. At my first Easter Vigil, I had the privilege of witnessing the baptism of a friend from youth group, along with his father and his brother. I have looked at Holy Week differently ever since.
I think we will look at Holy Week differently this year, and every year following. What are we bringing to this holiest of weeks, when we will join together...while still apart? Where do we see the sacred in celebrating Jesus’ last meal while at our own dinner tables? What is holy in honoring Good Friday, when the disciples were hidden away, while we are sequestered in our own homes?
You are invited to join us in these online worship experiences at 7:00 PM on Thursday and Friday. And then we will all rejoice together on Easter morning at 10:00 AM. This is a wonderful opportunity to invite friends who don’t have a church home to worship with us online, and then hopefully in person when we celebrate our second Easter- whenever we are rebirthed as a living, connected worshipping community!
May the peace of Christ be with you all in this blessed Holy Week.
This service has deep roots in the Passover celebration, and so includes a number of stories from the Hebrew Scriptures, narrating God’s saving acts in history. It is also historically a service of baptism, a time of welcoming in the adult catechumens who had been preparing throughout Lent. At my first Easter Vigil, I had the privilege of witnessing the baptism of a friend from youth group, along with his father and his brother. I have looked at Holy Week differently ever since.
I think we will look at Holy Week differently this year, and every year following. What are we bringing to this holiest of weeks, when we will join together...while still apart? Where do we see the sacred in celebrating Jesus’ last meal while at our own dinner tables? What is holy in honoring Good Friday, when the disciples were hidden away, while we are sequestered in our own homes?
You are invited to join us in these online worship experiences at 7:00 PM on Thursday and Friday. And then we will all rejoice together on Easter morning at 10:00 AM. This is a wonderful opportunity to invite friends who don’t have a church home to worship with us online, and then hopefully in person when we celebrate our second Easter- whenever we are rebirthed as a living, connected worshipping community!
May the peace of Christ be with you all in this blessed Holy Week.
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