Holy Week
Every year, I encourage you to make a commitment to coming to every service of the Paschal Triduum—the holy three days, which begin with the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday and end with an evening service on Easter Day. I promise to you that, if you join us for that entire journey, you will be forever changed. Again this year, I make the same request and the same promise, but this time I ask you to consider what parts of that journey you will make in person and what parts you will make online.
Normally, the church is packed to overflowing at the Easter Vigil and on Easter Day, but attendance on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday is far from full, and the congregation on the morning of Holy Saturday is barely a handful. This year, regardless of our intentions and desires, all of that will be different. Because in-person attendance is limited both in number and to those who feel comfortable coming to church, our congregations on Saturday night and Sunday mornings will be much smaller than usual, but, because we have the opportunity to experience all of these services online, we have an opportunity to commit to the whole Triduum whether we come in person or stay home.
Not everyone can make it to a noon service on Good Friday, but, with virtual attendance being our parish’s primary experience, we can watch and worship later in the day and still be connected to the worship of our congregation. In every year, the drama of these three days comes to us outside of our experience of time, and this year we can trust that our prayers and praises ascend to God together whether we are worshipping at home or in the pew and whether we are watching live or a recording.
Next week, on Thursday, March 25, at 3:00pm, signup links for all our Holy Week services will open. You could, if you are quick, sign up for all of them, but I wonder whether you might accept as part of your Paschal discipline a decision to attend some of them in person and others online. Perhaps you might commit to experiencing the entire journey but doing so with a mixture of in-person and online participation. Decide what service matters most to you and sign up for that one first. Then, after a while, look and see what spots are open at other services, and sign up for them, too.
As much as ever, we need to immerse our lives in the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. Some of us are able to do that in church. Some of us must do that from home. But all of us can do that together. Will you commit to worshipping with us as we follow Jesus from the glory of the triumphal entry through the pain of betrayal beyond the agony of death into the mystery of the resurrection and out into the light of Easter? I hope you will.
Yours Faithfully,
Evan
Holy Week Schedule
Palm Sunday • March 28, 2021
7:30 a.m. Eucharist in Church
8:30 a.m. Procession & Eucharist starting outside Welcome Center
11:00 a.m. Procession and Eucharist starting outside Welcome Center
5:30 p.m. Evensong
Maundy Thursday • April 1, 2021
7:00 p.m. Eucharist & Stripping of Altar in Church
Good Friday • April 2, 2021
12:00 p.m. Good Friday Liturgy in Church
7:00 p.m. Virtual Choral Performance - Stabat Mater
Church open all day for people to walk Stations of the Cross
Holy Saturday • April 3, 2021
8:30 a.m. Holy Saturday Liturgy in Church
8:00 p.m. Easter Vigil & Eucharist in Church
Easter Day • April 4, 2021
7:30 a.m. Eucharist in Church and Parish Hall
8:45 a.m. Eucharist in Church and Parish Hall
11:00 a.m. Eucharist in Church and Parish Hall
5:30 p.m. Outdoor Eucharist in Greenspace