We hope you will join us for worship!
April 1, 7 pm: Maundy Thursday liturgy
April 2, Good Friday
noon-2 pm: Meditations at the Cross
7 pm: Good Friday liturgy of the day
April 3, 8 pm: Great Vigil of Easter
April 4, Easter Sunday: Services of Holy Eucharist at 8 and 10 am.
The Paschal Triduum (the Three Sacred Days) is really one liturgy in three parts beginning with Maundy Thursday, continuing through Good Friday, and culminating with the Great Vigil of Easter.
April 1, Maundy Thursday, 7 pm: Foot washing, the Institution of the Lord's Supper, the stripping of the altar, and the the opportunity to meditate on the reserved sacrament in our transept "chapel."
This liturgy invites us into the intimacy of Jesus' last meal with his disciples, his loving care of them in the washing of their feet, and his self-offering in the bread and wine. The word maundy comes from the Latin mandatum, "command," and it refers to the commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples that we love one another. After the sermon, all are invited (though none are required) to come forward for foot-washing and then to wash the feet of the one coming after them – a transforming symbol of service and sacramental action. We continue with the eucharist, followed by the stripping of the altar and chancel. The service ends in silent darkness.
April 2, Good Friday. From noon to two the church will be open for Meditations at the Cross. This is primarily silent meditation, interspersed with brief readings and psalms. At 1:30 we will close with the traditional Stations of the Cross. you may come and go as your schedule allows.
At 7 pm: the Liturgy of the Crucifixion of our Lord, a service of readings, hymns, psalms, the Solemn Collects, and spoken anthems at the cross. We will conclude with Communion, using the bread and wine that was consecrated at the Maundy Thursday service.
Two thousand years ago, Christ's life, death, and resurrection exploded into history. This week invites us into God's saving acts with the hope that each year we will experience God's saving power in new ways. Join us for Holy Week. Your Easter will never be the same!
April 3rd, Saturday -- Holy Saturday: Holy Saturday is powerful day for us as Christians. Jesus has died. The reserved sacrament has been consumed. The eucharist is never celebrated during this day. It is a poignant, "in-between time," in which Jesus had descended to the dead but has not yet appeared as the risen Christ. The Prayer Book provides a simple order of service for this day. While we will not be holding a day-time liturgy at the church, consider following the order in p. 283 in your personal prayer time.
The Great Vigil of Easter (Saturday evening at 8:00), with Holy Baptism and the Feast of the Resurrection. The liturgy will begin with the kindling of the new fire and the lighting of the Paschal Candle in front of the main doors of the church. We then all process into the darkened church for the chanting of the Exultet (Latin for 'rejoice!') which announces to us that God is at work in mysterious and wonderful ways on this night! The Vigil readings of salvation history follow, including at least one dramatized reading. We then will have the great joy of welcoming Chris Mills into the household of God through the sacrament of Holy Baptism. (The Vigil is the primary occasion for adult baptisms. You will see why on Saturday!) We will then proclaim the Risen Christ and celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. The Lenten fast is complete! Let the feasting begin!
April 4th, Easter Sunday: We will continue the celebration of this great feast of our church year! Christ is risen! Alleluia! Our 8:00 service will be a joyful, though spoken, liturgy of Holy Eucharist, Rite I. At our 10:00 service we will pull out all the stops on our organ, which in timely fashion is also celebrating its new life (with its new motor)! Our trumpeter will return as well to add to the spirit and support our singing! This will be a Rite II Festival Eucharist.
I hope you can be with us for some or all of these services!
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Next week will be a quiet week at St. Andrew's: I will be taking a few days off following Easter Sunday, and will return in time for the round Table eucharist at 6 pm preceding the 7 pm Vestry meeting on April 8th.
See you in church!
Blessings, Heidi+
