You are invited to Holy Week at St. Dunstan’s Church.
On Palm Sunday we commemorate Jesus’ dramatic and emotional entry into Jerusalem. Jesus’ prophetic reenactment of Zechariah’s oracle that a new king would bring peace, entering into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, filled the people with hope and joy.
Jesus starts the week with rock star status, but he knows that this will not last. He directs his disciples to prepare for the Passover meal at a pre-arranged location and there the events of the Last Supper play out. We usually think of Jesus’ arrest when we speak of Maundy Thursday, but there was something else going on there. Jesus knew that this would be his last meal with his closest friends. This Passover meal must have been deeply moving for Jesus as he looked around at the faces of those whom he loved and who had followed him throughout his ministry. Our Maundy Thursday service will recall the emotional power of this meal as our own children read the traditional Seder meal questions and we share in a meal that honors both the traditions of our Jewish cousins and our own Christian heritage.
By Good Friday, the story has turned from hope to threat and despair. The Good Friday service at noon on Friday will hold up for us the power of Jesus’ death on the cross as we read the solemn collects and hear the Passion according to John. On Friday evening we will join together with Broadview UCC and Luther Memorial Church at the Henry Chapel for a beautiful Tenebrae service. This service starts in light and ends in darkness as we confront Jesus’ death on the cross. Through the course of the service, after each reading, one of seven candles is extinguished until the service ends in dramatic darkness.
The darkness ends with the new flame at the Sunrise Vigil service on Sunday morning. The new flame is kindled dramatically as we light a bonfire and then light the Paschal Candle from its flames. This service begins in darkness, lit only by these flames and our candles. As we hear the singing of the great Exsultet and hear great stories, the sun will begin to light the service, culminating in a baptism and joyful proclamation of the resurrection.
David+