Holy Week 2022
Lent comes to an end
We are now coming to the end of the Lenten season. Tonight is the start of a three day period where we remember Christ’s last supper, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. There is a lot going on in the next few days and I encourage you to participate in as many worship services as you can. The Easter holiday is much more meaningful if you have taken the time to walk through every step of the journey with Jesus.
Maundy Thursday and Good Friday
Maundy Thursday takes its name from the Latin word, mandatum, from which we get the English word “mandate.” In the upper room in John 13:34 Jesus gave his disciples a new command. They were to love one another as he had loved them. At tonight’s worship (April 14) service we will hear that text read and reflect on what it means to love each other in the crazy world we live in today. We will also share in the communion as a sign of Jesus was willing to go to love us, even in the midst of our sin and brokenness.
On Good Friday, April 15, we will have a Tenebrae service. Tenebrae is the Latin word for shadows. We will slowly extinguish candles to symbolize the shadow of death. We will read John’s version of the story of Jesus’ death on the cross. The service will walk with him from his trial before Pilate to the moment his body was placed in the tomb. It will also be an opportunity to examine the shadow places in our lives and to ask for Christ’s forgiveness and guidance.
Remnants of Easter Vigil
Historically, Christians participated in an overnight vigil on the Saturday before Easter. That time of worship was designed to remind believers that even when things seem to be at their darkest, the light of Christ will never be overcome. Traditionally, the vigil ended at sunrise on Sunday morning as the story Jesus’ resurrection was read. If the church had a cemetery, the service was held among the gravestones as a confident proclamation that because was death was defeated, all believers were united in eternal fellowship with those who had gone before them.
Although we no longer do a full overnight vigil, that tradition lives on in our sunrise service. On Sunday morning we will gather outside the church at daybreak to hear the story of the empty tomb. We will celebrate and fellowship with each other in our Easter brunch. All generations will come together for communion and prayer. As you join us for worship, I invite you to remember that we gather spiritually with believers of every age, language, and nation in the eternal fellowship of Christ’s resurrected body. Easter tells us that because he lives, we too will live.
Join us in Dexter this weekend
Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services begin at 6 p.m. in the sanctuary. Easter sunrise services will be April 17 on the front steps of the church at 7 a.m. followed by brunch in the Disciples center and an egg hunt on the church lawn. Worship in the sanctuary begins at 10 a.m.
Please bring a lawn chair and a dish to share for brunch. If you are unable to join us in person, all worship services will be live streamed on the church Facebook page.
Thanks in advance to all of our elders, lay leaders, musicians, decorators, and organizers for making all our Holy Week worship services possible. I look forward to worshiping and fellowshipping with all of you this weekend.
