IN THIS ISSUE
What's So Special About Holy Week?
Reflections on the Stations of the Cross
Palm Sunday
Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
The Great Vigil of Easter
Resurrection Sunday
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What's So Special About Holy Week?
by Teri Ballou, Communication Manager
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If you’ve been around church - any church, really - for any amount of time, you probably “get” why Easter is important. After all - Christ is Risen! It’s what sets us apart from the other religions! But some Christian denominations don’t pay much attention to “Holy Week” - or the various services the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Oh, they may have Palm Sunday readings about the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. And, possibly do something on Good Friday - the day we remember that Christ died on the cross. Maybe. And you might get a sermon - or a Sunday School teaching - about Christ washing the disciples’ feet.
But a Maundy Thursday service? I confess, I had never even heard of that service until after I was an adult! or the Stations of the Cross - not a service, per se, but an important part of the Lenten and Holy Week remembrance at All Saints. And I certainly didn’t know about the stunning Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening or that it is the first resurrection service of the weekend! (When I did first hear of it, I had visions of people sitting about in the wee hours of the night, praying in the dark …)
If this describes you - or even if it doesn’t - we invite you into this special edition of the Connect! Newsletter - as we share our love for the services of Holy Week, and then join others at All Saints April 2 - 9, as we remember the Passion and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Holy Week service schedule will be posted to our website in advance at allsaintschurch.net. Self-guided Stations of the Cross are available in the Nave when the church is open.
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Reflections on the Stations of the Cross
by Mark Pape, Parishioner
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The Stations of the Cross offer an array of insights and questions, if we breathe deeply, meditate, and go below the surface of its pageantry.
In doing so, we walk through the condemnation, the rejection, the mocking, the physical torture, and the death of a man – a very human, flesh and blood, living, breathing, good man – who knowingly took on this walk. Do not skip forward to the Resurrection or to say "He is God", so it didn’t matter, it didn’t hurt. It does matter, it does hurt. Where did the courage, the strength come from for Jesus, the man, to take on this wrenching agony, this pain, this death – knowingly and obediently? Others, prophets of old, had tried but never quite gotten there so publicly, so cleanly, so without blemish. Jesus knowingly, obediently took on this pain.
How is it that the man who asked us to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" and likewise to “love thy neighbor as thyself” could be so brutally condemned? Certainly, the message is a good one. So what is within us that causes us to join the crowd and condemn, mock and betray him? It is easy to say that we would/I would be among those weeping, offering aid and support to Jesus as he walked this pain-filled walk. But would I, could I?
Knowing the glory of the Resurrection, it is easy to say yes, yes I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior. Would I, though, walk His walk? Would I be like Peter or the other disciples who did not even dare show up or stand up with Jesus? Heck, do I now even carry out his commandment, “to love one another as I have loved you”? No – in truth - not always; I stumble and fall. But it is a journey, a quest, and we are forgiven/I am forgiven by the very man who walked this agonizing walk two thousand years ago.
The Stations of the Cross are there for you/for me to walk. Read the beautiful “Path of Sorrows,The Stations of the Cross” , by Peggy Eastman. Reflect on this. Do it again. Give thanks. Take courage and strength in the guidance, the example and the sacrifice – the gift so fully given – of Jesus Christ.
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Ecumenical Stations of the Cross on the Circle - a Good Friday tradition!
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Palm Sunday
by Gary Wieder, Family Pastor
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Palm Sunday – the Sunday before Easter – marks the beginning of Holy Week. It is called Palm Sunday because it is on this day we remember Jesus’s "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem, when the crowd who gathered to welcome him into the city waved palm branches and laid their cloaks – along with palms – on the road for him as he rode in on a donkey. All this can be found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 21, verses 1 – 11.
Neither the crowd nor Jesus’ own disciples knew what was in store for Jesus later that same week. But Jesus knew. This journey was part of His father’s plan to bring salvation to the world. The crowd, on that day, shouted “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” But another crowd would shout “Crucify Him!” later that same week.
I have always enjoyed celebrating Palm Sunday. It is always a cheerful, upbeat service. I recall at a young age waving a palm frond and learning how to shape it into a small cross. That’s the story of Palm Sunday through Good Friday, isn’t it? From celebration to sacrifice. One of the worship songs we sing here at All Saints Church is “Hosanna”. One of my favorite versions is this one.
The Hebrew meaning of “Hosanna” is “pray, save us”. Jesus answered that prayer by suffering, dying, and rising again that first Easter morning.
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Maundy Thursday
by the Rev. BJ Buracker, Interim Rector
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The Thursday of Holy Week is the night on which Jesus was betrayed and handed over to sinful men. On that night, Jesus gave new command, or mandate, to “Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 13:34) It is called, “Maundy Thursday” (from the Latin for “mandate,” mandatum), but there is more to this night than just a command.
On Maundy Thursday, we mimic Jesus’ great act of humility and wash each other’s feet, reminding ourselves that Jesus came not to be served but to serve, and we are called to do the same (Mark 10:41-45). The Eucharist takes on special significance as we reenact the night it began. Jesus, knowing that He will soon (within 24 hours) suffer and die for them, has a final meal with His dear friends, hands them bread and wine, and tells them He is giving His own Body and Blood for them. They should take, eat, and drink.
Finally, because this was the night on which Jesus was arrested and stripped from His disciples, the service ends with the stripping of the altar – anything decorative or colorful is removed from the altar, pulpit, lectern, and even the clergy. Just as this night began with celebration and humility but ended with betrayal and sorrow, our sacred liturgy begins with light and love and ends in silence and darkness. We somberly head home reflecting on the horror which has befallen our Lord and how deeply He has loved us. This new command to love demands much of us.
The Maundy Thursday service is glorious, heartbreaking, inspiring, and powerful. I am deeply moved every year.
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Good Friday
by the Rev. Matthew Kozlowski, Associate Rector
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It’s the worst day; and the best day. Good Friday. When the service begins, the church is stony silent. It’s as if everyone can feel each other’s sadness. The altar is bare. There is no Holy Communion on this day. We read from Psalm 22, “My God my God why have you forsaken me?”
We recount, again, the story of Jesus’ painful and shameful death. “Why did it have to be this way?” we wonder for the hundredth time.
Answer: for us. For you. For me. Broken sinners that we are, Jesus died in our place, to put us back together. By His wounds we are healed. That’s how He loves.
We exit the church in silence. Yet we carry hopes of Spring, buried in our hearts. The next time we gather for worship, Alleluias will rain down in showers of resurrection joy.
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The Great Vigil of Easter
by David Reeve, Verger
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The Great Vigil of Easter is one of the best kept secrets - and a hidden liturgical treasure - when compared to the other services at All Saints. The Easter Vigil is an ancient liturgy of the Christian year dating back to the second century and is arguably the service with the richest symbolism. Despite its ancient roots, All Saints has only conducted this service routinely since the early 1980’s.
The Easter Vigil begins on Holy Saturday close to sunset when the church is almost completely dark, save for the last few rays of sunlight as the day draws to a close; the service literally and symbolically brings the participants from darkness into light. The service consists of four parts:
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The Service of Light - which involves igniting a small fire at the rear of the Nave from which the Pascal candle is lighted, and the chanting of the Exsultet, which is almost as old as the Easter Vigil itself. (A noteworthy tidbit is that the “New Fire” presents both practical and liturgical challenges – requiring over the years, the use of a fire pit, a wok, and an hibachi that has occasionally caused singed vestments and on one occasion a singed beard!)
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The Service of Lessons – which consists of tracing the presence of God through the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with psalms, canticles, and prayers.
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Christian Initiation is represented by the first Baptisms of Easter and the Renewal of Baptismal Vows.
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Finally, the last part is the celebration of Holy Eucharist.
There is an element of theatre in all liturgy. The most dramatic portion of the service is as we transition into the Eucharist. After weeks of penitence, preparation, and reflection during Lent; the stripping of the altar on Maundy Thursday; and the stark visual imagery of Good Friday; the Celebrant proclaims “Alleluia Christ is Risen!”, and the congregation responds “The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!” … and the lights are turned on to reveal the Nave bedecked in flowers and draped in the liturgical colors of Easter!
Join us on Holy Saturday for the First Service of Easter at 7:30 p.m. and then join us again for one of the services on Easter morning. You will be blessed!
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Resurrection Sunday
by Peter Crisafulli, Director of Worship and Music
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Easter morning is fantastic! I love ALL our church services throughout the year, but above all, Easter. Why? Well, because it’s the day we celebrate our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s victory over death. For our sake Jesus suffered the pain and humiliation of the cross to redeem and save us from our sins. By his rising from the grave, he has overcome death, thus procuring our salvation and giving us the promise of eternal life. Now that’s something worth celebrating!
And boy, do we celebrate! The church is festooned with spectacular floral arrangements, the choir has been preparing glorious Easter music for weeks, we get to sing alleluias again, brass and organ greet the morning with joyful fanfares for the King of kings, and we hear the good news of Jesus’ Resurrection proclaimed in the Gospel and Sermon. It's a foretaste of Heaven!
Alleluia!
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Holy Week & Easter at All Saints |
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Previous issues of the Connect! newsletter, celebrating God's faithfulness to us and His work among and through us, are available on the church website HERE.
Please join us in continuing to celebrate the good news of God working in our midst - ideas for the Connect! newsletter are always welcome! You may submit possible topics, photos, or short (1 - 3 paragraph) articles to Communications Manager Teri Ballou.
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We are here for you. If you need help,
please call (301) 654-2488 or email info@allsaintschurch.net. All inquiries confidential.
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