THE THREE DAYS

The liturgy for the Three Days proclaims one dramatic story in three acts. The events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter are best understood as one service, unfolding over the course of three days. Through this profound and transforming experience at the heart of the Christian year, we are immersed in the holy mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection and the great story of God’s saving love.

Maundy Thursday

Thursday, April 6 @ 7PM
Remember the Last Supper of Jesus with music and holy communion around the Table of the Lord
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Maundy Thursday (from mandatum, Latin for commandment) proclaims Jesus’ new commandment to love one another as he has loved us. It celebrates Christ’s example of humble service and self-offering, represented by the washing of feet and the sharing of communion. The liturgy begins with an emphasis on confession and forgiveness, concluding the penitential season of Lent. It ends with the stripping of the church in preparation for worship on Good Friday.

Good Friday

Friday, April 7 @ 7PM
Ponder the crucifixion of Jesus with prayer and music around the Cross of Christ
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Good Friday proclaims the good news of salvation through the paradoxical suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. The center of this liturgy is the reading of the passion narrative, in which Christ is lifted up on the cross as a sign of God’s great love for the world. In the Solemn Intercession, we join Jesus’ prayer for the church and world, as he reaches out with compassion from the cross. Through the Solemn Reproaches of the Cross, we hear Christ’s anguished lament: My people, my church, why have you forsaken me?

Easter Sunday

Sunday, April 9 @ 10AM
Celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus with a festival worship service
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"Easter" comes from an old English word related to dawn and shining. At Easter we stand in the light of the resurrection to see a new creation, transformed by the grace and glory of God. The Resurrection of the Lord is the center of the Christian year, and the good news we proclaim on this day is at the very heart of the gospel.

50 DAYS OF EASTER

As with Christmas, Easter refers not only to a single day, but to a whole season of celebration in the Christian year. The season of Easter spans the fifty days between the Resurrection of the Lord and the Day of Pentecost and encompasses the Ascension of the Lord. Traditionally, the first service of Easter takes place on the eve of the Resurrection of the Lord with the Great Vigil of Easter. The seven weeks of the Easter season make up a “week of weeks” (seven times seven): a symbol in time of the fullness and abundance of God’s grace. In ancient practice, fasting and kneeling were forbidden during the weeks of Easter. In this most joyful season, we celebrate the great mystery of our faith—that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
Notes on the days of Holy Week are taken from Book of Common Worship (PCUSA), 2018
Holy Week graphics by Hannah Pickering.