Monday, March 25, 2013

St. Peter's Episcopal Church offers Holy Week services

St. Peter's Episcopal Church offers Holy Week Services beginning with a Palm Sunday Service on Sunday, March 24, and concluding with a traditional Easter Service on Sunday, March 31.

Holy Week will begin with a Palm Sunday service at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 24. Congregants will gather in the Parish Hall for the Litany of the Palms and process to the Sanctuary for worship and Holy Eucharist service. Palm Sunday commemorates the celebration of Jesus Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection.

For many Christian churches, Palm Sunday, often referred to as "Passion Sunday", marks the beginning of Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday. Biblical texts reveal that when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowds greeted him by waving palm branches and covering his path with palm branches. Immediately following this great time of celebration in the ministry of Jesus, he begins his journey to the cross.

On Thursday, March 28, a Maundy Thursday Service will take place at 7:00 p.m. This service will include a foot washing and the stripping of the altar. Maundy Thursday or "Holy Thursday" is the day Christians commemorate the Last Supper when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples on the night before he was crucified. During the Maundy Thursday Service foot-washing ceremonies are often a part of service. In contrast to joyful Easter celebrations when Christians worship their resurrected Savior, Maundy

Thursday services are typically more solemn occasions, marked by the shadow of Jesus' betrayal. The two important biblical events which are the primary focus of Maundy Thursday services are Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and Jesus instituting the practice of communion. The Gospel text from John 13:34-35, associated with this day, is of Jesus' saying to his disciples, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." The word Maundy is a shortened form either of the word commandment in its early spelling commaundement or of the Latin words mandatum novum, which means "new commandment". The altars are stripped at the end of the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday and any immovable crosses are shrouded.

St. Peter's Sanctuary will be open for prayer and meditation from 12:00-3:00 p.m. on Good Friday, March 29. Good Friday is the day in which Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus with a day of fasting, abstinence, penance and special devotion

. The biblical account of Jesus' death on the cross, or crucifixion, his burial and his resurrection, or rising from the dead, can be found in the following passages of Scripture: Matthew 27:27-28:8; Mark 15:16-16:19; Luke 23:26-24:35; and John 19:16-20:30. The Rev. Maryly Adair will also lead a Stations of the Cross devotional service at 2 p.m.

The Stations of the Cross are a series of 14 pictures or carvings depicting incidents in the narrative of Christ's passion, from Pilate's house to the entombment, which are found arranged around the walls of some churches. These depictions are used in conjunction with the devotional service which includes readings, prayers and a time for meditation.

The week will conclude with Holy Eucharist and Flowering of the Cross on Easter at 9:30 a.m., Sunday, March 31. On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Christians believe, according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross.

Through his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus purchasing for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

Easter is the oldest and greatest feast in the church year and the central day on the church calendar. Easter Day is the culmination of Holy Week, with its special services recalling the last week of Jesus' earthly ministry. The tradition of "flowering the cross" is found in Christian art as early as the sixth century. On Easter morning, flowers are used to decorate a cross in honor of the risen Lord. The cross is often set up outside the church following the Easter service as a witness to those who pass by.

All are welcome to attend any of the Holy Week services. St. Peter's Episcopal Church is located at 510 Jefferson St., on the corner of Jefferson and Elm, in Red Bluff. For more information contact 527-5205 or stpeters@sbcglobal.net. Visit our website at saintpetersepiscopal.org.

The Episcopal Church welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ in 109 dioceses and three regional areas in 16 nations. The Episcopal Church is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion. For more information, please visit: www.edsd.org.

Source: http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/ci_22856139/st-peters-episcopal-church-offers-holy-week-services?source=rss_viewed

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