Keeping Holy Week and the Celebration of the Resurrection Grace Episcopal Church Ocala, Florida Dear Friends, The purpose of this booklet is to instruct and assist members and friends of Grace Episcopal Church in understanding the rich and deep experiences and traditions celebrated at the height of the Christian Year, Holy Week. This booklet is yours. Take it along and refer to it prior to attending the various services described and, perhaps even better, read as you return home to understand more deeply the marvelous Sacramental experience you have just experienced.
The Rites of Holy Week Holy Week is a solemn time to reflect upon the suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ and to prepare for the celebration of His resurrection from the dead. Many of the liturgical celebrations of Holy Week have their origins in the celebration of the church in Jerusalem in the fourth and fifth centuries. Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem used these celebrations to impress the path of our Lord upon the hearts of his people. The word holy means set apart for the worship of God. We can set this week apart to worship God by reading the lessons from Scripture appointed for the days of Holy Week at home with our families and friends, and by participating in the liturgies which reenact and focus upon the events of this Holy Week. Holy Week begins with the Liturgy of the Palms and the Passion Eucharist on Palm Sunday, and concludes with the Celebration at the Great Vigil of Easter, before sunrise on Easter Day. Prayer Book Services: Palm Sunday pp. 270-273 Maundy Thursday pp. 274-275 Good Friday pp. 276-282 Holy Saturday p. 283 The Great Vigil of Easter pp. 284-295
Passion Sunday Palm Sunday The Sunday before Easter Palm Sunday the Sunday of the Passion introduces Holy Week. It sets the tone of Holy Week with its emphasis on the redeeming death of Christ. The celebration includes two initially separate events: The Liturgy of the Palms and the Passion Eucharist. Much of our traditional celebration for this most holy week comes from the travels to the Holy Land of a 4 th century pilgrim named Egeria. She witnessed the Holy Week observances of the Church in Jerusalem and was greatly impressed. She wrote them in her diary and upon her return to Spain, her home, she began to share her enthusiasm with her church family. The pattern and character of the Jerusalem Holy Week observances were eventually spread throughout the Western Church. The Jerusalem Church found it most important to go to the places of our Lord s Passion and, in a ceremonial way, reenact the events of His last days. Thus, through Egeria, we now reenact the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper and Foot Washing, the Veneration of the Cross, a service at the supposed tomb and the Celebration of Baptism and Easter Eucharist. Because these acts of worship have been considered among the most holy and essential to Christians of all ages, we have them handed down to us as they were in the very first days of the Church. They are very ancient and very authentic. The Liturgy of the Palms reenacts the triumphal entry of Jesus beginning at the Mount of Olives at 3:00 p.m., according to Egeria, and ending at the site of our Lord s tomb with an Order of Worship for the Evening. Today in our parish family, we attach this event to the beginning of the Passion Eucharist. In the Holy Land, palms were readily available and were used to spread along the way and to carry in procession. In other locations, local greens were used for the same purpose. Palms symbolize victory the final victory over death by Jesus sacrifice and resurrection. We, of course, use palms to make a
clear connection with our place and time, the experience of the early Church and the experience of the first disciples. The prayer book liturgy includes a collect (p. 270), a short Gospel of the Palms, and the Blessing of the Palms, which takes place outside the church. The anthem that recalls the Gospel of Matthew s version of the Hosannah shout of the crowd and the All Glory Laud and Honor (Psalm 118) is sung inside the church. The Eucharist of the Passion follows immediately. In this shift we can see and feel that the two are really separate and distinct events and have only been joined for efficiency s sake. The mood of the day is one of triumphant joy, followed by a growing realization that the crowds that cheered on Sunday would shout crucify Him on Friday. The Passion Eucharist comes to us from some of the oldest lectionaries. We read one of the synoptic gospel narratives of the Passion in a three-year cycle. It may be sung or presented in a dramatic fashion with several readers and with the congregation being the crowd. This enhances our involvement in the events of our Lord s trial and crucifixion. We recall that in Baptism we actually die in Christ and are raised with him out of the water to a new life in His Body, the Church. After the dramatic presentation of the Passion Gospel, the Eucharist proceeds as our normal Sunday offering of thanks and praise. Isaiah 45:21-25 Year A: Matthew 26:36-27:66 or Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Year B: Mark 14:32-15:47 Psalm 22:1-21 Year C: 22:39-23:56 Philippians 2:5-11
Monday in Holy Week Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first He suffered pain, and entered not into glory before He was crucified. Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP Page 220) After having heard the dramatic reading of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ on Palm Sunday, today we are reminded to continue on the path of discipleship. Through our strongest desire to quietly mourn the crucifixion of our Lord, we must continue to strive to make the way of His cross the way of our lives. The gospel readings for today give the account of the anointing of Jesus feet with costly oil. After all his ministry to others, Jesus lovingly receives the ministrations of a poor woman named Mary. The disciples are indignant that she should waste money in such a way, yet Jesus rebukes them and sees her gesture as a precious gift. She has purchased something very costly and yet she has given it away. How often are we tempted to give the best we have to those in need rather than our worn-out shoes and old-fashioned clothes? Isaiah 42:1-9 Psalm 36:5-10 Hebrews 11:39-12:3 John 12:1-11 or Mark 14:3-9
Tuesday in Holy Week O God by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP Page 220) Isaiah speaks of the light that brings salvation while in Mark s Gospel Jesus brings that cleansing light to a house of prayer that had been darkened by immoral commercialism. For this deed He was rejected by the religious establishment as noted in both Mark s and John s Gospels. The Psalmist receives his rescue from rejection by his trust in the Lord who, as Paul states, is the source of our life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Are we willing to let that light overturn the tables of deception in our lives and lead us on to wholeness and holiness? The ministry of reconciliation, which has been committed by Christ to his Church, is experienced through the care each Christian has for others through the common prayer of Christians assembled for public worship and through the priesthood of the Church and its ministers declaring absolution. (BCP Page 446) Isaiah 49:1-6 Psalm 71:1-12 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 John 12:37-38, 42-50 or Mark 11:15-19
Wednesday in Holy Week Lord God, whose blessed Son, our Savior, gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP Page 990) Wednesday of Holy Week has been called Spy Wednesday. It is so named because it was the day on which Judas Iscariot made his arrangements with the priests for the betrayal. He promised to bring them to the place where they could arrest Jesus without risking a public disturbance for 30 pieces of silver, which is about $200. Both gospel readings appointed for the day portray Judas as an evil man, possessed by the devil and the love of money. A symbol for the day and for Judas is a money bag often shown with 30 coins. Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 69:7-15, 22-23 Hebrews 9:11-15, 24-28 John 13:21-35 or Matthew 26:1-5, 14-25
Maundy Thursday Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before He suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP Page 274) The Thursday before Easter is in a way an ending for us before we can be replenished in the remembrance of our Lord s death and our new life as assured in His resurrection. Throughout Lent, we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter. Maundy Thursday is the final preparation. It was on this day that Jesus gave us perhaps the most difficult command to follow a mandate, that, in almost all ways, supersedes all other law:..that you love one another as I have loved you. Prior to giving His disciples this mandate, Jesus did some things which were strange to the disciples then and remain strange to many even to this day. First, He insisted on washing the feet of His disciples. While this was not uncommon in their day, what was uncommon was for the master or the guest of honor to do the washing. That was a job for the servants. Jesus was trying to prepare the disciples for His mandate. How can you love as He did and does without first being a servant? He was also showing them that: Unless you are washed you can have no part of me. a clear reference to baptism. The second thing that Jesus did was to serve the Passover meal, after giving thanks, by saying that the bread was His body and the wine was His blood. Do this in remembrance of Me. Jesus has prepared the disciples; now He is giving them the strength to do what He has commanded them to do. When they remember Him, He will give them everything needed to love as He loved them.
Egeria records that these events were celebrated in the early church first on the site of the true cross around 2:00 pm. This was followed by the congregation moving to the courtyard of the church and erecting a cross at the supposed site of the crucifixion for a second celebration around 4:00 pm. After prayers at the tomb, the people returned home for a meal. They then followed the path of our Lord from the garden to the site of the trials and back to the site of the crucifixion, taking all night and part of the next day. In later times, the evening celebration came to include the account from John s Gospel of our Lord s washing of the disciples feet; and still later the custom of stripping the altar and the washing of the altar area was incorporated into the celebration. It is also during this Eucharist that elements are consecrated in sufficient quantity to allow for communion from the reserved sacrament on Good Friday. That s what Maundy Thursday is all about through two millennia in the Christian community: love as Jesus loved His disciples and us, and love as He mandated us to love each other a selfless love, a sacrificial love, an understanding love, a forgiving love. Exodus 12:1-14a Psalm 78:14-20, 23-25 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (27-32) John 13:1-15 or Luke 22:14-20 Overnight Vigil: The Watch before the Altar At the end of the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday, the altar and sanctuary will be stripped of all adornments and The Watch before the Altar will begin. Many will find it very meaningful to come and meditate and pray in the presence of Jesus during this watch.
Be sure to sign up on the sheet which is available in the church or you may come at any time that is convenient for you. There will be Bibles in the pews. John 18-19 Isaiah 53 Matthew 26-27 Romans 6, 8 Mark 14-15 Ephesians 2 Luke 22-23 Colossians 1, 2 Psalms 7, 22, 32, 38,40, 51, 69, 84, 102, 130, 143
Good Friday Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP Page 276) The historical material reported here clearly points up that Egeria s experience in Jerusalem was one of a nearly continual liturgy from early afternoon on Maundy Thursday through the Easter Eucharist. The Good Friday liturgy comes from this material and, in a real sense, must be seen as an integral part of the celebration of one event Jesus death/resurrection. We tend to separate it into two parts and celebrate it that way. However, the Church, from its earliest experiences, knows it as one single event resurrection. Modern day Christians often like to separate the events into two and eventually emphasize the resurrection much more than the crucifixion. Jesus is Lord of both and they must be tied together all the time. The Easter Vigil is the extension of Good Friday and follows Jesus through the crucifixion to his rising to new life on Easter morning. We re involved in a single observance of Christ s victory through death and rising to life again, and through death and rebirth through baptism. Egeria records that the supposed true cross was placed on a table at the site of the crucifixion for veneration beginning at 8:00 am until noon on Good Friday. The faithful came to venerate the cross and to kiss it because it is the vehicle upon which Christ won our salvation. At noon, they gathered for a service of psalms, readings, and hymns in the courtyard of the church. Then they moved to the site of the tomb and the Gospel of John s account of the burial was read (John 19:38-42). Eventually, other churches acquired pieces of the true cross and venerated it as in this rite. Other churches picked up the rite and used crosses of their own making. Now, at noon on Good Friday, a large cross is carried into the church to remind us of this old and great tradition.
The observance of Good Friday at Grace Church incorporates the psalms and solemn collects of the ancient Church, the reading of the Passion from John s Gospel in dramatic form, the procession of the cross, and Communion from the reserved sacrament consecrated on Maundy Thursday. This pattern allows us to connect with the ancient rich customs and traditions of the Church and it allows us to participate in the experience of our Lord s death resulting in our salvation as real as possible for all who have been baptized. Stations of the Cross For the traditional Stations of the Cross, we have artist depictions of all fourteen Stations of the Cross made known to us through the knowledge we have of our Lord s journey along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem where each moment of his suffering and agony becomes a reminder of his total sacrifice for each one of us personally. The congregation participates by moving together through our Church during the liturgy and taking turns with the various short readings. Everyone in the Church is encouraged to participate in worship on Good Friday it will bring deeper meaning to the Easter liturgy. Holy Saturday On Holy Saturday, the day the body of our Lord remained in the tomb, there is no celebration of the Eucharist nor distribution from the Reserved Sacrament except in an emergency. In keeping with the subdued atmosphere of the day, the liturgy for Holy Saturday is simple and austere. Our Lord is in the tomb; what shall we do? Job 14:1-14 Psalm 130 or 32:1-5 1 Peter 4:1-8 Matthew 27:57-66 or John 19:38-42
The Great Vigil The Great Vigil is the first liturgy of Easter Day, celebrated between sunrise on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter morning. It brings together many of the traditions and stories of the peoples experience of God s savings acts in history. It is the foremost celebration of all Christians as it marks the death and resurrection of our Lord. The Vigil consists of four parts: Service of Light; Service of Lessons; Baptism or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows; and Holy Eucharist. The Christian Passover or Paschal Vigil dates from at least the year 215; if not from New Testament times. It is rooted in the celebration of new converts baptisms and the celebration of the Easter Eucharist on the day of our Lord. We begin with the lighting of the new fire. The celebrant lights the Paschal Candle and reads the prayers and the Service of Light begins. The deacon then processes into the dark church with incense, pausing three times to sing the acclamation The Light of Christ. Candles held by members of the congregation are then lighted from the Paschal Candle as it passes each pew. The Paschal Candle is placed in its stand near the altar where it provides light for the reading of Exsultet and the lessons. At Grace Church, the Exsultet This is the night is read by a deacon. The exhortation calls on the people of God to rejoice in the victor of their King and sing his praises. It provides an outline of the history of the salvation of the people by God. At the conclusion of the Exsultet, the candles are extinguished and the service of lessons begins; interspersed with psalms, hymns, and prayers. The Vigil lessons form a separate liturgy of the word from the Eucharistic lessons which come later. These lessons recount the salvation history of God for His people: the story of creation, Abraham s sacrifice of Isaac; crossing the Red Sea and the Exodus, and the prophecies of redemption.
In our baptism, we enter into Christ s death and resurrection. Therefore, the Great Vigil of Easter is the traditional and primary time to celebrate baptism and initiate new members into the Body of Christ, the Church. After the lessons are concluded, the service of Baptism is celebrated or if there are none to be baptized, then the congregation renews its Baptismal Vows. At the conclusion of the Baptism or the renewal of the Baptismal Covenant, the altar candles are ignited from the Paschal Candle and the Easter proclamation: The Lord is Risen is made. The celebrant reenters to joyous singing and the ringing of bells. The pandemonium recalls the victory celebration of all of life. The celebration of the first Easter Eucharist follows with many alleluias (the Hebrew word of praise, Praise ye Yahweh ) and much joy. Romans 6:3-11 Psalm 114 Easter Festival Eucharist The Easter Day service is characterized by joy as we celebrate the wonder of the resurrection. To be sure, Jesus was raised from the dead, breaking the bonds of sin and death for all who believe in His name. Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 51:9-11 Psalm 118:14-29 or Psalm 118:14-17, 22-24 Colossians 3:1-4 Year A: Matthew 28:1-10 Year B: Mark 16:1-8 Year C: Luke 24:1-10