For so many, Holy Week jumps from Palm Sunday to Easter Day, and the Passion of our Lord is overlooked. Journey with us as we continue a tradition that honors our Lord and gives a strong witness of our faith.
Palm Sunday – April 1st
- Distribution of the Palms and Holy Eucharist – 8:00 AM & 10:30 AM
The most holy of weeks begins with Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday. Here the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is recalled, and yet, the liturgy quickly shifts to the events of the week that lead Jesus to his arrest, trial and death on the cross. The congregation gathers in Old Brick, processes to New Brick with blessed palm leaves, and joins in the reading of the Gospel narrative in parts. The liturgy ends in quietness; a stark contrast to the joy of the procession. So our Holy Week journey begins.
Parishioners are invited to take the palms and place them in their homes as a reminder of the Kingship of Christ and the frailty of our human lives.
Monday in Holy Week – April 2nd
- Liturgical Dance Performance – 7:30
Come and embrace the Passion of Our Lord as we begin the journey of walking with Jesus day by day. We honor Monday in Holy Week with a Liturgical Dance performance called Were You There? at 7:30 PM in the Church.
Tuesday in Holy Week – April 3rd
- Stations of the Cross - 7:30 PM
Walk with us and recall the way of the Passion in this ancient service. Prayers are offered at each of eight Stations depicting specific events of our Lord’s arrest, trial, crucifixion and death. Paintings are by parishioner Kelmie Snider.
Wednesday in Holy Week – April 4th
- Tenebrae – 7:30 PM.
As Jesus draws ever closer to the events of Good Friday, the church readies itself by the reading of the service of Tenebrae, taken from the monastic tradition. In this service, the daily prayers for the next three days are said, so that the focus can be on the sacredness and liturgies of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. A candelabrum with fifteen candles is used, and one by one, the candles are extinguished, until the only light remaining symbolizes the light of Christ. This light is taken and hid for a moment, as Christ was laid in the tomb. Then a loud noise, that of the earthquake, is made, and the light is returned to its stand. In silence and by the light of only that candle, the congregation leaves.
Maundy Thursday – April 5th
- Remembrance of the Institution of the Holy Eucharist – 7:30 PM
In the evening we will gather to bring into remembrance the Last Supper of our Lord and the Institution of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We hear and remember the words of Jesus as he states, “Do this in remembrance of me.” As the service concludes, the altar is stripped of all of its apportionments, so that the focus of all can be upon the cross alone on Good Friday. Then we hear of the Agony in the Garden as Jesus is arrested. The Altar of Repose is set for The Watch that takes place through the night, as in response to our Lord’s question- “Could you not watch with me one hour?”
In addition, the congregation is invited to come and spend an hour (or any portion) in prayer and solitude at the Altar of Repose, set up in Old Brick. A sign up sheet is posted in the rear of the church, but more than one person may share the same hour.
Good Friday – April 6th
- Meditations on the Cross – 12:00 Noon
- Good Friday Liturgy – 7:30 PM
Christians throughout the world recall this day upon which Jesus died. As it remembers the great sinfulness of man, it also points to the glory and love of God. It is most somber in its offering, and includes the Veneration of the Cross, another ancient custom of the Church. A plain wooden cross is carried into the church and is held before us. The congregation is invited to come forward and reverence the cross, by touching of the wood, a simple bow, a genuflection or the act of kissing the wood of the cross.
The afternoon service lasts one hour, and draws our attention to the extraordinary love that God has for each of us in giving His son to die upon the cross. The evening service is fifteen minutes longer as we also receive communion from the Sacrament Reserved. Church tradition prohibits the celebration of the Eucharist on this day.
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