YouTube -- Easter Sunday (April 20, 2025)

Here is the Easter Dawn service from April 20, 2025.  Note: This service is joined in progress during the second lesson.

Here is the Easter Festival Service from Sunday, April 20, 2025.

Sermon -- Easter Dawn (April 20, 2025)

JOHN 20:1-9

A MEDITATION ON THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD.

In the name + of Jesus.

     “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb.  She saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb” (John 20:1).  We don’t know what else Mary observed.  Were the soldiers who had been guarding the tomb already gone?  Did she get a glimpse of the inside of the tomb?  She must have not seen the angels, and she certainly did not hear their announcement that Jesus had risen from the dead.  Mary saw the stone had been rolled away.  That was all the evidence she needed.  Her conclusion: “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they put him” (John 20:2).

     Peter and John heard her report.  It demanded further investigation.  So, they ran from their upstairs room in Jerusalem to the tomb just outside the city walls.  John got there first.  He was not as bold as Peter, so he only stooped to look inside the tomb.  John reported what he saw.  “Bending over, he saw the linen cloths lying there” (John 20:5).  Peter, of course, never seems to hesitate with anything.  “Simon Peter … went into the tomb.  He saw the linen cloths lying there.  The cloth that had been on Jesus’ head was not lying with the linen cloths, but was folded up in a separate place by itself” (John 20:6-7). 

     Peter and John observed more than Mary had.  They assessed the evidence.  The tomb was, indeed, empty.  The body of Jesus was gone.  They did not see the angels or hear the announcement from them, but they did observe the linen cloths that had been wrapped around Jesus’ body.  If someone were to steal a body, they would not have unwrapped it.  And they certainly would not have taken the time to fold up the head cloth nice and neat.  They assessed the evidence.  Jesus’ departure from the tomb was done in calm and intentional fashion.  If the grave clothes were left behind, it is because they were no longer needed.  Besides observing the scene, Peter and John both had Jesus’ words to call to mind.  Jesus had told them them “that the Son of Man must suffer many things; be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the experts in the law; be killed; and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31).  Everything Jesus had said was going to happen happened.  This was the final word to be fulfilled.  John makes his personal confession: “He saw and believed” (John 20:8).

     What did John believe?  That Jesus had risen from the dead.  But John acknowledged that he and Peter “still did not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead” (John 20:9).  They had not connected the dots that the Lord had foretold this throughout the pages of Scripture.

     Our Lord has revealed his love and his salvation since the Garden of Eden.  Some of God’s promises are glaringly obvious.  Psalm 16, for example, prophesies: “You will not abandon my life to the grave.  You will not let your favored one see decay” (Psalm 16:10).  But as we mine the Scriptures for gems, we continue to discover the ways the Lord has foretold and foreshadowed the death and resurrection of the Christ.  For example, we can marvel at God’s miraculous deliverance of Daniel from the lions’ den.  It is a historical event from the early days of the Persian Empire.  But now consider: Daniel was an innocent man who was unjustly condemned to die.  He was placed in a den which had a stone rolled in front of it.  He was as good as dead, a feast for roaring lions looking for someone to devour.  In the early morning, the stone was taken away and Daniel came out alive.  See how this foreshadows Jesus’ resurrection!  Many other examples are recorded which continually pointed God’s people to the Christ, for whom it was necessary that he “suffer many things…; be killed; and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31).  This is why we give our attention to the Scriptures.  Our Lord wants us to live in the confidence of his love and of our place in his eternal kingdom. 

     Peter and John saw the evidence in the tomb.  They believed that Jesus had risen from the dead.  It is proof that God has accepted Jesus’ death as the full payment for your sins.  It is proof that Jesus has authority over death and the grave.  And it foreshadows your own resurrection to life everlasting.  Peter and John still had God’s promise to ponder, to study, and to meditate upon.  So do we.  We have heard the evidence.  We meditate on the promises.  We rejoice in their fulfillment.  We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Worship Notes: The Triduum - 2025

INTRODUCTION TO THE TRIDUUM

The enormous significance of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection has always been the central focus of Christian worship.  Prior to the fourth century, Easter Day itself included all three emphases, but thereafter they were distributed over three days of special observance, which Augustine called “the most holy Triduum of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord.”  These days have long been understood as the climax of the Church’s year.

Since the last half of the 20^th century, Lutherans have been rediscovering the richness of the ancient Triduum (pronounced TRIH-doo-um) and adapting the traditional services associated with it for use in Evangelical-Lutheran worship.  In keeping with their origins, the Triduum services are closely connected with one another.

We observe the Triduum as a single service that extends over the “three holy days.”

MAUNDY THURSDAY (April 17, 7:00 PM)

The theme of Maundy Thursday, best expressed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John, is the novum mandatum or “new command” of Jesus that his disciples “love one another.”  The institution of the Lord’s Supper sets forth the depth of Jesus’ love and gives power to the Church to live out his command.  For the Triduum, Maundy Thursday marks the end of Lent proper.  The service begins with the sermon and an exhortation regarding the end of Lent.  This unusual arrangement allows the minister to explain the meaning of the Sacrament and the liturgical actions that are to take place so that they may proceed uninterruptedly and vividly from this evening through Good Friday to the Easter Vigil.  The action of ceremonially stripping the altar prepares the chancel and the congregation for Good Friday.

GOOD FRIDAY: THE SERVICE OF THE CROSS (April 18, 7:00 PM)

As the middle service of the Triduum, Good Friday is prepared for by Maundy Thursday.  In turn, it leads into the Easter Vigil.  The absence of a benediction the previous evening and again on Good Friday underscores the connectedness of the Triduum service.  Good Friday is not a “funeral” for Jesus, but an austere celebration of the Lamb and his sacrifice.  The bare altar, symbolic of Christ, is the focus along with a large, rough finished wood cross.  The Service of the Cross consists of two parts: 

                I. The Word and
                II. The Meditation on the Cross.

The service is highly meditative in nature and is celebrated simply and not hurried.  The Service of the Cross is intended as the primary Good Friday service and his historically been observed sometime during the “hours of the cross,” between noon and three o’clock.  It may also be used in place of the Service of Darkness (Tenebrae) as an evening service, as is the case at Good Shepherd.

EASTER VIGIL (April 20, 7:30 AM)

The climax of the Triduum comes in the Vigil of Easter, a service of watching and waiting which utilizes prayer, Scripture, and hymns.  The Vigil is composed of four parts.

            I. The Service of Light focuses on the Paschal Candle, the representation of the unconquered life of Christ.
            II. The Service of Lessons uses Old Testament texts that foreshadowed our deliverance and rescue by Jesus.
             III. The Service of Holy Baptism emphasizes our baptismal connection to the crucified and risen Christ.
             IV. The Service of Holy Communion proclaims the risen Savior and our blessed reconciliation to God.

In the ancient Church, the Vigil began on Saturday and continued through to Easter Dawn.  It was at dawn that the cry rang out: “Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!”  We honor the spirit of the Vigil, beginning our Easter Vigil at an early hour on Easter Sunday.  With the service of Easter Dawn, we conclude the Triduum.  

Our Festival celebration is held at our regular hour of Divine Service, 10:00 AM.

May the Lord bless us as we observe these “three holy days,” the Triduum.

Holy Week -- 2025

HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE

Palm Sunday
April 13 – 10:00 AM



Private Confession & Absolution
April 14 – 7:00-9:00 PM

Maundy Thursday
April 17 – 7:00 PM



Good Friday
April 18 – 7:00 PM

Easter Dawn

April 20 – 7:30 AM

Easter Breakfast (8:45 - 9:45 AM) 

The Festival of the
Resurrection of our Lord

April 20 – 10:00 AM

Sermon -- Easter Dawn (March 31, 2024)

GENESIS 1:1 – 2:3

MEDITATION ON THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD:

A NEW CREATION.

In the name + of Jesus.

     “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).  The world that God created for mankind was flawless.  It was free from disease, from mental disorders, from natural disasters, from pestilence, and from scarcity.  God’s creation is evidence of his glory.  It was filled with beauty, and it supplied mankind with every need in variety and abundance.  God loved what he had created.  He blessed it.  And he created for mankind so that we would benefit from God’s abundant goodness.

     God never stopped loving his creation.  Even when sin entered the world and brought its curse on the creation, God still loved his creation.  The world still has beauty and blessing.  Even though many places in this world are not inhabitable, such as deserts, swamps, and arctic tundra, we still plan vacations to go and visit these places because they display their own beauty and glory.

     God has not abandoned his creation, but it has been corrupted.  St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:21-22).  Every natural disaster reflects the creation longing to be set free from its curse. 

     God so loved the world—not just the people in the world, but the whole creation.  God loves what he has created, and so he sent his only begotten Son to redeem it.  Jesus has come to bring forth a new creation.  On Easter Sunday, the new creation breaks forth.  

     Jesus has taken into himself the curse for sin.  That means every curse—the curse that mankind has earned and the curse that has fallen upon the world—every curse has been taken into Jesus.  On Good Friday Jesus bore the full weight of that curse.  Eternal torment was absorbed by the eternal Son of God.  Just before he died, Jesus declared that his work was complete: “It is finished” (John 19:30).  Just as God finished the work of his creation on the sixth day, so also Jesus finished his work of redeeming creation on the sixth day.

     And just as God rested on the seventh day, so Jesus took his Sabbath rest on the seventh day.  He rested in his tomb after finishing his work.

     But today is the eighth day—the day of the new creation.  Jesus has risen from the dead, and he is the firstfruits of the new creation.  Just as Jesus rose from the dead, so you too shall rise from your grave renewed, restored, and righteous.  You are already a new creation through your baptism.  Jesus Christ has transformed your heart and mind so that you delight in God’s word—both in confessing it and in living it.  What you strive for in weakness now you will do and be perfectly in the kingdom to come.

     When Jesus comes again, he will not only raise you from the grave to live in beauty and glory before him, but he will also restore creation to its perfection.  “According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).  Eden will be restored, and God will dwell with his people in peace.

     Today is the eighth day, the day of a new creation.  Jesus Christ is risen, the firstfruits of the new creation.  The rest of the harvest will follow soon enough.  God’s people rejoice.  Heaven and nature sing.  God sees it, and behold, it is very good.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon -- Easter Dawn (April 9, 2023)

EXODUS 14 – 15

THE LORD HAS TRIUMPHED GLORIOUSLY.

M:       Alleluia!  Christ is risen!

Cong:  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

In the name + of Jesus.

     One of the criticisms lodged against Christianity is that our God is bloodthirsty and violent.  He destroyed the world in the Flood.  He ordered the slaughter of the Canaanite nations.  He commanded that Israel stone its adulterers, psychics, and false prophets.  The argument concludes, “If that is what your God is like, then I want no part of him!” 

     The events at the Red Sea reinforce that image.  Not only did the Lord violently slay the Egyptian army, the Israelites sang rousing songs of praise about it.  Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea” (Exodus 15:1).

     It was a massacre.  The Egyptian army was wiped out.  Israel sustained no fatalities or even wounds.  There is no need to apologize for the Lord.  Our Lord is a bloodthirsty God, and he violently slays his enemies.  But if you want to be saved, then it has to be this way.  The Lord has triumphed gloriously; his victory is absolute and undisputed.

     This all came about because God is fiercely loyalty to his promises.  God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that salvation would come through them.  God promised to give their descendants the Promised Land and to preserve them until the Savior came.  The Egyptians had other plans.  Israel was cheap labor.  They were to build the glory of Pharaoh and Egypt.  After the Passover slaughter of their firstborn, the Egyptians begged the Israelites to leave.  But then they had a change of heart.  So, Pharaoh ordered the greatest army on earth to pursue the Israelites.

     The Egyptians were not going to ask politely for Israel's return or to negotiate a labor contract.  They were not going to play nice.  “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.  I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them’” (Exodus 15:9).  This was a bloodthirsty enemy, devoted to acts of violence, oppression, and murder.  Whoever was not slaughtered by Egyptian swords would be captives of the Egyptian empire and assumed into Egyptian culture.  It would not just be the loss of a nation, but the end of God's promise. 

     But the Lord is fiercely loyal to his Messianic promise.  To attack the promise is to attack the Lord.  So, the Lord acted decisively and destroyed those who threatened his promise.  “Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.  The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.  Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy” (Exodus 15:4-6).  The Lord has triumphed gloriously.  He has defended his promise.  He has preserved the salvation of mankind.  If you want to be saved, this is the way it has to be.

     Our songs today are even more robust than what the Israelites sang.  Easter is the celebration after a bloody, violent battle.  In this battle, it was winner take all, leaving no survivors.  Either life wins, or death wins.  Our songs ring out because Jesus came out alive.  Indeed, it was a massacre.  If you want to be saved, then it has to be this way.  The Lord has triumphed gloriously; his victory is absolute and undisputed.

     If there is joy in having a bloodthirsty, violent God, it is because you recognize your enemies for what they are.  Every one of us is tormented and terrorized by sin, death, and the devil.  Sin is not polite.  It wounds your conscience, scars you with shame and regret, and condemns you.  Death does not negotiate with you.  It takes regardless of your age, your health, or your importance.  The devil does not play nice, and he never will.  He entices you to seize what you want no matter what God says about it.  Then he accuses you and buries you with guilt over the very things he convinced you to do.  These are bloodthirsty, violent, and murderous enemies who drag their captives down to hell for everlasting torment.  They boast, “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, … my hand shall destroy them’” (Exodus 15:9).  

     If you want to be rescued from your enemies and delivered from their deadly grip, then they must be slain, never to rise again.  So, for us fights the Valiant One whom God himself elected.  God took on our flesh in order to deliver our flesh from sin, death, and the devil.  This man, Jesus, single-handedly faced the enemy to deliver you out of your captivity to your enemies.  The enemies drew blood and inflicted wounds on Jesus.  Your bloodthirsty God poured out his blood and willingly threw himself into death for you.  He let Satan do his worst, and Satan delivered the death blow to Jesus. 

     But now, Jesus is risen!  By his resurrection, Jesus has left sin for dead.  Death is a corpse.  Jesus crushed the Serpent’s head, and a dead serpent is no threat.  It was a bloody, violent, and deadly battle, but Jesus lives as the victor.  Your enemies have been massacred.  The clash of the battlefield has been replaced with songs of joy and praise and victory.  The Lord has triumphed gloriously; his victory is absolute and undisputed.

     The Lord Jesus makes this victory yours through baptism.  The enemies of Israel were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea, so also your enemies were drowned in the waters of baptism.  For, this is what the Lord says: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3,4).  Baptism connects you to Jesus who has freed from your enemies.  Your enemies are dead—violently and definitively slain by the Lord.  He lives and reigns for you, and you shall now live and reign forever with him.  For, the Lord has triumphed gloriously.

     Therefore, we sing our hymns of praise with gusto and gratitude.  We do not apologize for our Lord's bloody battle or the violent slaughter of our enemies.  This is how God has saved us completely.  The Lord has triumphed gloriously; his victory is absolute and undisputed. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Worship Notes: The Triduum

INTRODUCTION TO THE TRIDUUM

                The enormous significance of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection has always been the central focus of Christian worship.  Prior to the fourth century, Easter Day itself included all three emphases, but thereafter they were distributed over three days of special observance, which Augustine called “the most holy Triduum of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord.”  These days have long been understood as the climax of the Church’s year.

               Since the last half of the 20^th century, Lutherans have been rediscovering the richness of the ancient Triduum (pronounced TRIH-doo-um) and adapting the traditional services associated with it for use in Evangelical-Lutheran worship.  In keeping with their origins, the Triduum services are closely connected with one another.   We observe the Triduum as a single service that extends over the “three holy days.”

MAUNDY THURSDAY

APRIL 6, 7:00 PM

              The theme of Maundy Thursday, best expressed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John, is the novum mandatum or “new command” of Jesus that his disciples “love one another.”  The institution of the Lord’s Supper sets forth the depth of Jesus’ love and gives power to the Church to live out his command.  For the Triduum, Maundy Thursday marks the end of Lent proper.  The service begins with the sermon and an exhortation regarding the end of Lent.  This unusual arrangement allows the minister to explain the meaning of the Sacrament and the liturgical actions that are to take place so that they may proceed uninterruptedly and vividly from this evening through Good Friday to the Easter Vigil.  The action of ceremonially stripping the altar prepares the chancel and the congregation for Good Friday.

GOOD FRIDAY: THE SERVICE OF THE CROSS

APRIL 7, 7:00 PM

               As the middle service of the Triduum, Good Friday is prepared for by Maundy Thursday.  In turn, it leads into the Easter Vigil.  The absence of a benediction the previous evening and again on Good Friday underscores the connectedness of the Triduum service.  Good Friday is not a “funeral” for Jesus, but an austere celebration of the Lamb and his sacrifice.  The bare altar, symbolic of Christ, is the focus along with a large, rough finished wood cross.  The Service of the Cross consists of two parts: I. The Word and II. The Meditation on the Cross.  The service is highly meditative in nature and is celebrated simply and not hurried.  The Service of the Cross is intended as the primary Good Friday service and his historically been observed sometime during the “hours of the cross,” between noon and three o’clock.  It may also be used in place of the Service of Darkness (Tenebrae) as an evening service, as is the case at Good Shepherd.

EASTER VIGIL

SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 7:30 AM

               The climax of the Triduum comes in the Vigil of Easter, a service of watching and waiting which utilizes prayer, Scripture, and hymns.  The Vigil is composed of four parts.

.

           I.                 The Service of Light focuses on the Paschal Candle, the representation of the unconquered life of Christ.

         II.               The Service of Lessons uses Old Testament texts that foreshadowed our deliverance and rescue by Jesus.

             III.             The Service of Holy Baptism emphasizes our baptismal connection to the crucified and risen Christ.

         IV.             The Service of Holy Communion proclaims the risen Savior and our blessed reconciliation to God.

               In the ancient Church, the Vigil began on Saturday and continued through to Easter Dawn.  It was at dawn that the cry rang out: “Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!”  We honor the spirit of the Vigil, beginning our Easter Vigil at an early hour on Easter Sunday.  With the service of Easter Dawn, we conclude the Triduum.  Our Festival celebration is held at our regular hour of Divine Service, at 10:00 AM.

May the Lord bless us as we observe these “three holy days,” the Triduum.

Holy Week 2023

Holy Week schedule for 2023

Sunday, April 2 -- Palm Sunday (10:00 AM)

Tuesday, April 4 -- Private Confession & Absolution (6:30 - 8:30 PM)

Thursday, April 6 -- TRIDUUM: Maundy Thursday (7:00 PM)

Friday, April 7 -- TRIDUUM: Good Friday (7:00 PM)

Sunday, April 9 -- TRIDUUM: Easter Dawn (7:30 AM)

Sunday, April 9 -- Easter Breakfast (8:45 - 9:45 AM)

Sunday, April 9 -- Easter Festival Divine Service (10:00 AM)

Sermon -- Easter Dawn (April 17, 2022)

GENESIS 7 - 9

MEDITATION ON THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD.

THE FLOOD: Water That Both Drowns And Saves.

 In the name + of Jesus.

     When we hear about the Flood, we usually focus on the destruction it brought upon the world.  One reason for that is because of the Lord’s own words: “God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.  And God said…, ‘Behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven.  Everything that is on the earth shall die’” (Genesis 6:12,17). 

     God cannot abide by sin.  He had created a perfect world, and his standard for all people is for holiness.  But sin produces in us all kinds of wickedness—selfishness, pride, anger, violence, and so forth.  We show utter disrespect to God, suggesting that he has no business in his own creation.  We show utter contempt for our fellow man, seeing other people only according to how we can use them.  The judgment of God is deserved. 

     The Lord sent the Flood to wipe out everything on earth because of its wickedness.  The waters drowned every living thing.  The exception, of course, was Noah, his family, and every animal that was taken into the ark. 

     Noah was not excused from the Flood.  He had to endure it, too.  But God provided deliverance to Noah so that he was not destroyed.  The Lord God had revealed his word to Noah, a word which provided salvation.  God had commanded Noah to build an ark in which he, his family, and many animals found refuge from God’s judgment.  The Flood waters drowned all that was wicked, but it also lifted the ark above the destruction.  God sent waters which both drowned and saved.  All who were in the ark were saved by the very waters which drowned the earth.

     “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).  The waters of baptism correspond to the Flood.  God cannot abide sin, but neither does God want to destroy you.  You will not be excused from God’s judgment, but God provides deliverance so you will not be destroyed.  Through holy baptism, the Lord delivers you.  God drowns all that is corrupt in you.  And the waters of baptism save you.  They deliver you above the judgment which will come upon all that remains corrupt.  Through baptism, God brings you into the ark of the Christian Church.  Here, God’s people are kept safe.  We gather each week in the nave, which means ship, to rejoice in the Lord.  Rather than have us die in our sins, the Lord died to deliver us from sin.  His resurrection proves that his redeeming work is both sufficient and complete.  We are saved by Jesus, and Jesus applies that salvation to us in baptism.

    The waters of baptism both drown and save.  Daily, we revisit our baptism—putting to death the sin that still desires to have us.  And daily, God raises us up anew.  He saves us and keeps us safe as we gather in his name—the name which marks us and saves us.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Worship Notes: The Triduum

 INTRODUCTION

          The enormous significance of Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection has always been the central focus of Christian worship.  Prior to the fourth century, Easter Day itself included all three emphases, but thereafter they were distributed over three days of special observance, which Augustine called “the most holy Triduum of the crucified, buried, and risen Lord.”  These days have long been understood as the climax of the Church’s year.

          Since the last half of the 20^th century, Lutherans have been rediscovering the richness of the ancient Triduum (pronounced TRIH-doo-um) and adapting the traditional services associated with it for use in Evangelical-Lutheran worship.  In keeping with their origins, the Triduum services are closely connected with one another.   We observe the Triduum as a single service that extends over the “three holy days.”

 MAUNDY THURSDAY

          The theme of Maundy Thursday, best expressed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John, is the novum mandatum or “new command” of Jesus that his disciples “love one another.”  The institution of the Lord’s Supper sets forth the depth of Jesus’ love and gives power to the Church to live out his command.  For the Triduum, Maundy Thursday marks the end of Lent proper.  The service begins with the sermon and an exhortation regarding the end of Lent.  This unusual arrangement allows the minister to explain the meaning of the Sacrament and the liturgical actions that are to take place so that they may proceed uninterruptedly and vividly from this evening through Good Friday to the Easter Vigil.  The action of ceremonially stripping the altar prepares the chancel and the congregation for Good Friday.

GOOD FRIDAY:

THE SERVICE OF THE SEVEN WORDS

          As the middle service of the Triduum, Good Friday is prepared for by Maundy Thursday.  In turn, it leads into the Easter Vigil.  The absence of a benediction the previous evening and again on Good Friday underscores the connectedness of the Triduum service.  Good Friday is not a “funeral” for Jesus, but an austere celebration of the Lamb and his sacrifice.  The bare altar, symbolic of Christ, is the focus along with a large, rough finished wood cross. 

          The Service of the Seven Words is a service that reviews the seven times in which Jesus spoke at his crucifixion.  Each reading is interspersed with silence for meditation, a brief homily, prayers, and hymns.  The Service of the Seven Words is intended as the primary Good Friday service and his historically been observed sometime during the “hours of the cross,” between noon and three o’clock.  It may also be used in place of the Service of Darkness (Tenebrae) as an evening service, as is the case at Good Shepherd.

EASTER VIGIL

          The climax of the Triduum comes in the Vigil of Easter, a service of watching and waiting which utilizes prayer, Scripture, and hymns.  The Vigil is composed of four parts.

I.                 The Service of Light focuses on the Paschal Candle, the representation of the unconquered life of Christ.

II.               The Service of Lessons uses Old Testament texts that foreshadowed our deliverance and rescue by Jesus.

III.    The Service of Holy Baptism emphasizes our baptismal connection to the crucified and risen Christ.

IV.             The Service of Holy Communion proclaims the risen Savior and our blessed reconciliation to God.

               In the ancient Church, the Vigil began on Saturday and continued through to Easter Dawn.  It was at dawn that the cry rang out: “Alleluia!  Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!”  We honor the spirit of the Vigil, beginning our Easter Vigil at an early hour on Easter Sunday.  With the service of Easter Dawn, we conclude the Triduum.  Our Festival celebration is held at our regular hour of Divine Service, at 10:00 AM.

May the Lord bless us as we observe these “three holy days,” the Triduum.

HOLY WEEK 2022

 HOLY WEEK 2022 

TRIDUUM: Maundy Thursday
April 14 – 7:00 PM

TRIDUUM: Good Friday
April 15 – 7:00 PM

Sunday, April 17

TRIDUUM:

Easter Dawn – 7:30 AM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A continental breakfast will be offered

(8:45 - 9:45 AM) for any who might be interested.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Festival Service

10:00 AM

Holy Week Schedule -- 2020

HOLY   WEEK   SCHEDULE

These services will be broadcast on Facebook Live.
They will also be posted on YouTube on the day following each service.

Maundy Thursday
April 9 – 7:00 PM

Good Friday
April 10 – 7:00 PM

April 12 -- 10:00 AM
The Festival of
the Resurrection 
of our Lord