“The church does not pretend, as it were, that it does not know what will happen with the crucified Jesus. It does not sorrow and mourn over the Lord as if the church itself were not the very creation which has been produced from his wounded side and from the depths of his tomb. All through the services the victory of Christ is contemplated and the resurrection is proclaimed.”
It is said that Easter Sunday stands at the very center of the liturgical church year. Everything that comes before it moves toward it. Everything that comes after it flows from it. If this is the case, then Holy Week becomes the church’s opportunity to experience Easter Sunday in the most powerfully meaningful way.
Holy Week consists of three worship services: Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday worship begins the week, by remembering the last time Jesus enters the Holy City of Jerusalem, and by reflecting on the whole story of what took place during the last week of Jesus’ life.
The Tri Diuum (or “Three Day”) service takes place over the course of three days. On Maundy Thursday we remember Jesus’ last meal with his Apostles, on Good Friday we reflect in awe on his suffering and death, and on Holy Saturday the Great Easter Vigil brings Lent to a close and ushers in the beginning of the Easter season.
Then finally, on The Resurrection of Our Lord (or “Easter Sunday”), a celebration in word and sacrament proclaims the heart of the Christian faith: that in the resurrection of Jesus Christ God defeats the power of death, forgives our sin, renews our lives, and bestows to us the promise of eternal life.
There is a temptation, for those who rarely worship in the middle of the week, to worship on Palm / Passion Sunday and then again on Easter Sunday. But to do so misses much of the depth and meaning of this important week. For centuries, people have found that when they gather with the church on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, it allows them to experience Easter Sunday in a more significant way than they ever have before.
Why not make this the year you participate in all three of these services, allowing them to fill your heart with all that God has to offer?
We pray that through your times of worship and devotion, the Holy Spirit will stir you to a deeper faith, and a richer life with God. A blessed Holy Week to you all.
This article was written by StPLC’s Pastor, Dave Risendal.