Holy Week

Holy Week Services

These 40 days of Lent are marked by times of personal reflection, prayer and a journey to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. These 40 days of Lent are intended to remind us of the 40 days which Christ spent in the wilderness preparing for His ministry – facing temptations that were meant to call Him away from His mission.

Maundy Thursday Service
During Holy Week, services are available to help us understand the pain and suffering Christ endured in our place so that we may have eternal life with him. Maundy Thursday services are held on Thursday, March 20, at 7:00 in the Family Life Center’s Wesley Hall. A highlight of this service is the foot-washing ritual which is the powerful symbol of Jesus’ servanthood. This act serves as a powerful witness of Jesus’ humility as He approached His death. “On the night before His death, Jesus set an example for His disciples by washing their feet, an act of humble service. He taught that strength and growth in the kingdom of God come not by power, authority, or even miracles, but by humble service. Melody Sommers will lead the Voices In Praise singers and Praise Band in music and readings highlighting this theme. Communion will also be served at this service. Come and worship together and recall the night when Christ was last gathered with his Disciples.

Good Friday Service
Good Friday has always been a solemn day for prayer, repentance, and the remembrance of Jesus’ death on the cross. It is long-held tradition, based on the Biblical texts that Jesus died on a Friday and rose from the dead on a Sunday, which would place the Last Supper on a Thursday night. This service is held in the Sanctuary with Bryan Taylor and the Chancel Choir leading the service through their cantata, “The Weeping Tree,” by composer Joseph Martin. The backdrop is a weeping tree, sacrificed to support the body of our Christ, the sacrificial lamb.
“Her magnificent trunk sawed in two, she stands transformed into a cross. Surrounded by angry shouts and the cries of mourners, she awaits the cruel embrace between wood and flesh. And now, cut from her roots, the weeping tree slowly begins to die along with the Man who hangs cursed upon her. Watered by a thousand tears, her sylvan branches once held a perfect harvest, for heaven had chosen her rugged frame to be the bearer of grace. There in her crooked and twisted arms she cradled Jesus, the Hope of the world. She who was cut and fashioned by hatred and violence became a tree of life for the world.”
Come and hear the beautiful music of choir and instruments and poignant narration as this story is brought to life. A special time at the cross will occur in this service as we seek to release our burdens and pain and thus focus on our strength…Christ our Lord.