As a missioner working with eight churches, I try to make it to one or more services or activities at each of the eight churches from Palm Sunday through Easter. Each of the last two years, I have made it to six of the eight. What a grand week, getting to worship with so many different people, walk the stations at different churches, watch children scramble to find hidden eggs, attend multiple Easter parties, and even assist with a feeding ministry!!
I guess it is one week of the year when there is a kaleidoscope of opportunities to experience. The biggest problem is learning how to schedule out the week in a way that still allows for getting to as many churches as possible. There are fewer special worship opportunities for Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday, and nearly all of the churches have overlapping service times on Holy Thursday/Maundy Thursday. After all, a church can strip the altar only once! Emotionally, I am not too sure any of us could handle that too many times in a day in any case! Reading
Good Friday is somehow easier, as there are so many ways to experience that day liturgically. For me this year, it was an 8 a.m. communion from the reserved sacrament, a 12 noon Good Friday liturgy, a 1 p.m. Stations of the Cross, a 2 p.m. Good Friday liturgy, and then a 7 p.m. Good Friday liturgy with communion from the reserved sacrament. Whether participating as a leader or as a congregant, each was very meaningful. It also was necessary to my journey from the Last Supper to the cross and to the tomb. All to be followed by the long wait until we can celebrate Easter with the Easter Vigil. Darkness to light to celebration. Yes; a great week indeed.
What are your thoughts and reflections on this week? Is it just too difficult and draining a week to sustain the energy and feel like it went well? Does the secularization of Easter distract too much from the spiritual energy and experience of the week? Other thoughts? I would love to hear them.
Theresa
