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Beloveds, Holy Week is here.
Tonight we have Tenebrae at 7pm, an ancient service where we speak the words of lament from Scripture together, giving voice to grief and loss and the feeling that God is far away. One by one we extinguish candles until the room goes completely dark, and we leave in silence. It sounds somber, but there is something beautiful about a faith tradition that makes space for the hard feelings instead of rushing past them. It is the church saying: we are not afraid of the dark, because we know what comes next. On Maundy Thursday at 7pm we gather around the story of Jesus washing his friends' feet and stripping the altar bare, a tender image of what service and sacrifice really look like. Bring loose change (coins) for the basin to represent the 30 pieces of silver. On Good Friday at 7pm we sit together at the foot of the cross, and we do not look away.
At the Easter Vigil on Saturday at 7pm, we start outside in the dark, light a fire, and carry that flame inside while the whole story of salvation gets told from the very beginning of Creation. At the moment of the Resurrection, the lights come on and we sing the "A" word together for the first time since Lent began. It is genuinely one of the most joyful moments I have ever experienced in church!
Easter Day services are at 8am, 9:15am, 11am, and 5pm. The Easter Egg Hunt happens at 10:30am! Please, bring someone you love! No donkeys this Sunday, maybe a bunny, but definitely Jesus. The tomb is empty, and we have been waiting all Lent to say that out loud.
We need acolytes and ushers for Saturday's Easter Vigil and Easter Day, and folks to sign up for the overnight Vigil on Thursday.
~Nelson+
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