Holy Week at Trinity

MARCH 23, 2010

Dear people of Trinity,

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus. I am writing you to reflect on this sacred time of Holy Week, and to invite you to the various worship services we will have here at Trinity. Holy Week is the culmination of our 40 day Lenten pilgrimage of fasting, prayer, renewal and preparation, and commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the heart of our faith and salvation.

We begin with Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion. We begin this service with a procession of palms, to mark Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem before his “Passion.” The term “Passion” comes from the Greek word pasch?, which means “to suffer,” and refers to the suffering of Jesus leading to his trial and crucifixion. We will hear the “Passion” narrative according to Luke.

• Saturday 3/27; 12:00noon –Palms service (Spanish/English)
We will gather for a bilingual (Spanish/English) service of Palm Sunday followed by a lunch and celebration in the basement.

• Sunday 3/28; 10:30am - Palm Sunday/Friendship Sunday
We will gather in the parking lot and process around the block, with song and palms in hand, and then into the sanctuary for the rest of the service. This Sunday is also Friendship Sunday, so invite your friends and join us for a potluck following the service. Please bring a dish to share.

Then we move to the “Three Days” -- Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. On Maundy Thursday we remember the “Last Supper” Jesus had with his disciples. We break bread together in the sacrament of Holy Communion as the first disciples did in the upper room. The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word mandatum, which refers to the commandment Jesus gave in John 13:34 to “love one another,” after he washed his disciples feet. We wash another’s feet in light of this call to humble service and self-giving love.

• Thursday 4/1; 7:00pm - Maundy Thursday
We will wash one another’s feet in light of Jesus’ call to love and humble service and we will commemorate the Last Supper with Holy Communion and the stripping of the alter.

Good Friday is when we turn our hearts to Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross. We ponder the betrayal, the unjust trial, the eerie shouts of “Crucify him! Crucify him!”, the beating and the brutal execution of an innocent man nailed to a cross. As the gospel hymn goes, “sometimes it causes me to tremble.”

• Friday 4/2; 7:00pm – Good Friday
We will gather for a somber Tenebrae service marking Jesus’ death on the cross with candle extinguishing, the bidding prayer and a procession of the cross.

• Saturday 4/3; 12:00noon – Via Crucis/Stations of the Cross (Spanish/English)
We will meet outside the main entrance of the church to walk through the neighborhood marking each station of the cross, and will culminate with a bilingual (Spanish/English) service in the sanctuary.

Holy Saturday is when we stand in between Jesus’ death and resurrection. Easter Vigil is celebrated when darkness falls on Saturday, and begins the celebration of Easter.

• Saturday 4/3; 7:00pm – Vigil of Easter (Holy Saturday) *at Christ Lutheran
We will join the other churches of the Greater Long Beach Conference at Christ Lutheran Church (6500 Stearns St, Long Beach) for an Easter Vigil, gathering first in the courtyard. Bishop Dean Nelson will preside. Trinity’s Choir will be singing a musical response to a reading. A reception will follow.

Just as the women came preparing spices to bring to the tomb, and just as fear and death appeared as though it had taken over…they found the stone rolled away and hear the good news: “He is risen!” Easter is a day of rejoicing, of proclaiming “He is risen!” and celebrating Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Christ has overcome death so that all have life everlasting! Alleluia!

• Sunday 4/4; 10:30am – Easter Sunday
Join us in celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord in this Easter celebration. He is Risen! Alleluia!

In Holy Week we turn our hearts to the passion of Christ, his suffering and death on the cross. But we know that suffering and death is not the end of the story! From the shame comes glory, from the defeat comes victory, from the despair comes hope, from the suffering comes salvation, and from death springs life eternal! Let us proclaim this good news to the world, that suffering and death is not the end of the story, but Christ is Risen! Sorrow may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning!

I hope you can all join us as we journey through Holy Week together at Trinity. May the hope we have in our Savior Jesus Christ fill you this holy season.

IN CHRIST,

REV. JOSH EBENER, PASTOR
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
759 Linden Ave., Long Beach, CA 90813-4501
562/437-4002 pastor@tlclb.org
A Loving Community That Cares, Shares, and Dares to Witness!