Worship in Holy Week
Welcome to Holy Week at St. Hilda's. Holy Week is the week-long commemoration of the Christian Passover when we watch and remember the deep love of God revealed through the Passion of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to take part in as many of the rich liturgies offered at St. Hilda's.
Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopalian priest and theologian in her book Learning to Walk in the Dark says:
I have learned things in the dark that I could never have learned in the light, things that have saved my life over and over again, so that there is really only one logical conclusion. I need darkness as much as I need light.
Holy Week is about Christ Jesus, the Word made flesh, surrendering himself to enter the darkest place of the human soul where everything is foreign and unfamiliar, nothing is within our control, the place where we are often most afraid of.
On Palm Sunday, also known as the Sunday of the Passion (April 14), we begin with Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The procession with palms is accompanied by a dramatic reading of the Passion Narrative, in which the whole story of the week is anticipated.
The Liturgy on Maundy Thursday (April 18) comprises some rich complex of themes: humble Christian service expressed through Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet, the institution of the Eucharist, the perfection of Christ’s loving obedience through the agony of Gethsemane. The service will follow immediately by an all-night vigil called The Watch. You are invited to follow Jesus’ invitation to “remain and stay awake with me for an hour” when he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Church will be opened throughout the night. Sign up in the Narthex for a one-hour watch at the Altar of Repose.
On Good Friday (April 19) we gather with our friends from St. John's United Church and Living Faith Lutheran Church to wait at the foot of Jesus' cross to bear witness to all those whose lives have been consumed by the violence of our world then and now. There is also an opportunity to spend a moment to pray before the Taizé cross of Reconciliation.
Holy Saturday (April 20) is observed as a Tomb Day in some traditions. Take a prayer walk in the woods or by the seawall, or come to St. Hilda's and use the self-guided meditation brochure to walk on the labyrinth and the cemetery.
I hope that you would be convinced, especially during this time when our world is so deeply divided, that our need to BE ONE in Christ worshiping together outweighs the inconvenience of not worshiping in our familiar liturgical space.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings. — Wendell Berry
For service times and location, please check out the Event section of the website.
See you all this Holy Week.