Mark your calendars for Holy Week and please plan to join us and invite friends and neighbours who may not have a church of their own. The presence of old and new faces is a blessing for us all. If you don't usually attend all the services during Holy Week, and are considering joining us for the first time, here is a quick orientation:
Palm Sunday -- begins joyfully, marking Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. We create our own mini-parade, waving palm branches and singing around the church (you are welcome to stay in the church if you have mobility issues or are just shy). By the end of the service, we look ahead to the more sombre events of Holy Week.
Maundy Thursday -- perhaps even more powerful than Good Friday service. This service marks The Last Supper followed by Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and his arrest. We include the ritual of the washing of feet in the service -- purely voluntary-- in which we re-enact Jesus taking the place of a servant, humbling himself to wash the feet of his apostles and friends. The service ends with the stripping of the altar and the placement of the cross on the altar. We leave in silence.
The service is preceeded by a simple shared meal at 6pm -- this is optional.
The service is preceeded by a simple shared meal at 6pm -- this is optional.
Good Friday -- service is actually a continuation of Maundy Thursday service. The mood is sombre, many of us dress in black, as we mark Jesus' suffering and death on the cross. We include a participatory reading from the Gospel depicting Jesus' trial and Crucifixion. We leave in silence.
Easter Sunday -- Celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus with praise and singing.
