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 Dear Friends:
The Worship Committee at Redeemer hopes that many will attend our Holy Week and Easter services! The services with their descriptions are listed below.
Faithfully,
Cynthia Bronson Sweigert, Rector,
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, March 16
8:00 am Blessing of the Palms & Holy Eucharist (Rite I)
10:30 am Blessing of the Palms, Procession and Holy Eucharist (Rite II)
Please gather in the parish hall prior to the 10:30 service. This liturgy marks the beginning of Holy Week, and as the Collect for the Liturgy of the Palms tells us, during this time we have the blessed opportunity to “enter with joy upon those mighty acts, whereby God has given us life and immortality.” This day we recall the joyous, triumphant entry of Jesus into. Jerusalem by processing into the church with our palms and songs of joy; but after the presentation of the Passion, the service takes a solemn turn, setting the tone for the events to follow.
The Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in Holy Week, March 17, 18 & 19
Monday & Tuesday, 7:15 pm Holy Eucharist Reflections by Redeemer parishioners
The readings will focus on the last events in Christ’s life before his crucifixion. Monday: The gospel story concerns a woman who anoints Jesus. Although there are some who criticize her extravagance, Jesus tells them she has anointed his body for burial. Tuesday: Jesus makes a dramatic and bold move when he overturns the tables of the Temple’s moneychangers, a dangerous decision that occasions enemies of Jesus to take action against him.
Wednesday, 7:00 pm Tenebrae (from the Latin, meaning “darkness or shadows”)
The service of Tenebrae has traditionally been done on the evening of Good Friday at Redeemer, but this year has been moved to the Wednesday of Holy Week. It features the chanting of a portion of the Book of the Lamentations of Jeremiah (in which each verse is introduced by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet), traditional readings, psalms and the gradual extinguishing of candles and other lights until only the Christ candle remains. Toward the end of the service this candle is hidden, symbolizing the reality of Christ in the tomb and the apparent victory of the forces of evil. Eventually the Christ candle is restored to its place and by its light, all depart in silence. This beautiful service evokes for the religious imagination an extended meditation, and a prelude to, the events in our Lord’s life between the Last Supper and the Resurrection.
Maundy Thursday: A Celebration of the Institution of the Holy Eucharist & Washing of Feet, March 20
6:30 pm Supper
Prior to the liturgy, will gather in the parish hall for a table liturgy reminiscent of a like gathering on the island of Iona. A simple meal of soup, bread and fruit will then be served. We will seek to the keep the warmth and fellowship of this gathering as we then process into the nave where we will be greeted by the choir chanting “Ubi Caritas.” Because Maundy Thursday is the commemoration of the Last Supper and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist we celebrate the gift of the sacrament in the bread and wine. In addition, the word maundy is from the Latin word “mandatum” meaning commandment, and refers to the words Jesus spoke to his disciples in the Gospel of John following his washing of their feet — “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” We will also wash feet as a symbol of servanthood; anyone who wishes to have their feet washed is welcome to come forward. Finally, Maundy Thursday recalls the beginning of Jesus’ passion in the Garden of Gethsemene, when he asks his disciples to stay awake and watch, but they do not. Following the stripping of the main altar as Psalm 22 is chanted, the reserved sacrament will be placed on what is called for this evening the “altar of repose” in the Lady Chapel. Redeemerites will then have the opportunity to take turns keeping watch until 12:00 midnight.
Good Friday, March 21
12:00 noon The Traditional Three Hours
We observe the Traditional Three Hours from 12:00 noon until 3:00 pm, the hours Jesus hung on the cross. Beginning with the noon-day office, this time together will include the Stations of the Cross, with the ministers processing to each station and proclaiming traditional readings paired with contemporary litanies of response; and the Good Friday Office, beginning around 1:30 pm. During the Office the St. John’s Passion will be chanted; the Solemn Collects read; and communion from the reserved sacrament administered. At 3:00 pm the tolling bell will be rung 33 times to mark the years Christ spent on this earth and the moment of his death.
7:30 pm The Good Friday Office
This service is a simpler version of the Office which is part of the Traditional Three Hours, but includes the same elements: The Good Friday readings, including St. John’s Passion, homily and hymns, the Solemn Collects, and communion from the reserve sacrament. If you cannot attend any portion of the afternoon service between noon and 3:00 pm, this service, too, will be a time of reflective prayer as we contemplate the last day of Christ’s earthly life.
Holy Saturday, March 22
8:00 pm The Great Vigil of Easter
We will gather on the front lawn for the beginning of the liturgy and the lighting of the new fire. Then we will process into a darkened church bearing individual tapers lit from the Paschal candle. Following the chanting of the Exsultet by the cantor we will hear readings telling of our salvation history, and be led in singing by the combined choirs. No other day of the Church so powerfully reinforces baptism as the passover from death into life as this day, on which we also remember Israel’s passover from bondage to freedom. Following the turning up of lights and the ringing of bells at the Gloria (Bring bells of all kinds!), we will joyously celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. Please join us for a special reception following the service!
Easter Day: The Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, March 23
10:30 am The Festival Eucharist
This glorious service of Holy Eucharist is complete with brass and Choir, followed by a special coffee hour. For the children there will be an Easter egg hunt! (There is no 8:00 am service on this day).
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