Next week is Holy Week!
This Sunday we gather in outdoor worship for Palm Sunday and on April 4 we gather outdoors for Easter Sunday. And in between we celebrate the “Triduum”: The Great Three Days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Vigil of Easter. It is one worship service that begins on Maundy Thursday and does not end until Resurrection Easter. The Great Three Days lead us to resurrection joy.
We will worship by video–found on our YouTube channel and through our website–on each of their respective evenings, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, April 1-3. You’ll see some familiar faces in worship. The worship bulletin pdf will be available to download and print from our website www.myesperanza.org.
Because we are worshiping in our homes this year, you will receive in the mail some “touch points” for each day of the Triduum worship service:
Table graces for Maundy Thursday to begin your evening meal.
Bookmarks for the Passion Story for Good Friday so you can follow along in your Bible.
Coloring pages for all ages for the Vigil of Easter
For each day of the Triduum, we invite you to gather a few items for worship:\
Maundy Thursday
The Gospels narrate two events on the Thursday before Jesus’ death: his last extraordinary meal with his followers and his symbolic gesture of washing their feet. During worship we are invited to participate in both expressions of faithfulness. (More about Maundy Thursday in the following article.) For this service you will need:
A bowl of water and wash cloth
Bread and wine/grape juice
Good Friday
This day is marked with austerity, silence, and reflection. We hear the story of Jesus’ Passion and see the light gradually fade. The story is told by members of the congregation.
For this service you will need:
Up to seven lit candles
Easter Vigil
This night brings us from the darkness of Good Friday into the Light of the Risen Christ. We hear God’s Salvation Story and celebrate the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Communion. The stories are told by members of the congregation. For this service you will need:
Bowl of water
One or more candles to light during the service.
Bread and wine/grape juice
Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday worship will be in-person, outdoor worship at 8 and 9:30 a.m.
You may choose to participate from inside your car, or join with others seated outside in front of the platform, in one of the socially distanced seating circles drawn in chalk on the pavement.
]
Please bring your own chair and an umbrella if it is sunny. We invite you to greet and chat with each other, but please do not get out of you cars or leave your seating circle. Parking reservations are available now through Saturday, April 3rd on our website www.myesperanza.org.
Thank you for your continued understanding and generosity of spirit as we find creative ways to worship together. Join me in taking this journey through The Great Three Days to our Easter Joy.
God’s peace and grace to you this day,
Pastor Annemarie