Even those with a perfunctory knowledge of Christianity know that our two most important festivals are Christmas, marking the birth of Jesus Christ; and Easter, celebrating his resurrection from death. It takes a little more subtlety to understand that the two are approached in very different ways. In short, Christmas is an event, while Easter is a process. The commemoration of Christ’s birthday is a celebration that resembles the news of any birth. We knew the baby was coming months in advance – and even knew that his birth would mark the coming of God into the world. To this end, the season of Advent conveys a sense of anticipation and restrained excitement; reflected both in the readings and in the “countdown” rituals of lighting candles on an Advent wreath and opening doors on Advent calendars.
Easter, on the other hand, is constructed to come upon us as a surprise. We’re not surprised Jesus rose from the dead, of course – we know the story far too well for that – but we approach the event as if it were something unexpected. And, let’s face it, unlike a birth, rising from the dead is pretty darn unexpected!
The path to Easter anticipates a death, not a birth – indeed we can only enter into the experience of resurrection through the gate of fatality. Like the foretelling of a birth, the journey to death is sometimes predictable; and from the moment of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (commemorated on Palm Sunday), the writing is on the wall – foreshadowed by the reading of the Passion narrative. We are meant to be witnesses to the shadow of evil gathering over Jerusalem that fateful week, culminating in the torture and execution of the Messiah of God.
This dramatic passion play unfolds for us in real time, as both a symbolic depiction of history and a summary statement of the very heart of our faith, re-enacted in song, story, prayer, image, and movement. And so what we do as a faith community to mark this week is to revisit this ancient story and retell the core of our faith confession – that Jesus rose from the dead and so defeated the power of death.
Palm Sunday – The Sunday before Easter commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry in Jerusalem. In the ancient near east, the palm represented victory; and Jesus’ greeting by those bearing palm fronds indicates a burgeoning insight that he is the promised Messiah, the anointed one of God, the kingly descendent of David who will restore the glory of Israel. We re-enact this by our own procession with palms, singing as we go. Later in the service, we recall how the triumphal entry ends seemingly in tragedy, as we retell the story of Christ’s Passion. Next year, the palms we take home with us as a sign of Jesus’ ultimate victory, will be returned to be burned to ash, and marked on the foreheads of the faithful, as we begin another Lent on Ash Wednesday.
Readings – Matthew 21:1-11 (at the procession); Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11; and Matthew 26:14—27:66 (or 27:11-54) at the Eucharist.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday in Holy Week – As with Palm Sunday, red is the liturgical colour of these three solemn days. The Gospel readings from John, which are read throughout these three days, retell the Passion narrative from the anointing of Jesus at Bethany, through his betrayal by Judas Iscariot on the eve before his death.
Monday Readings – Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 12:1-11.
Tuesday Readings – Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 12:20-36.
Wednesday Readings – Isaiah 50:4-9; Psalm 70; Hebrews 12:1-3; John 13:21-32.
Maundy Thursday – Maundy Thursday begins the Triduum, the solemn period of three days during which Christians are encouraged to practice silence and stillness. Maundy Thursday commemorates Jesus’ last night with his disciples, culminating in his arrest. During the service, some or all of the following events of that fateful evening are symbolically recalled: The washing of the disciples’ feet; the institution of the Lord’s supper; the agony of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane; and Jesus’ betrayal by Judas Iscariot and subsequent arrest. For us at St. Hilda’s this year, we will be focussing on the institution of the Lord’s Supper; after which the altar is symbolically stripped, and any remaining liturgical items are covered or removed from the chancel surrounding it. The remaining consecrated bread and wine is removed to another room, where the faithful may keep watch, recollecting Jesus’ request that his disciples keep watch as he prayed in the Garden.
Readings – Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1, 10-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
Good Friday – The Friday before Easter marks the most solemn day in the Christian calendar, the torture and execution of Jesus. The timing of this event, to roughly coincide with Passover, is meant to remind us that Jesus is the symbolic Passover lamb, whose self-offering in sacrifice obliterates the forces of evil which would try to destroy the source of love and life itself. There are many rituals associated with the liturgy of that day, and we will observe two. We begin the service by marking the stations of the cross, singing as we move between each depiction of Christ’s final journey from Pilate’s prison to the hill of Calvary. We will also process the reserved sacrament in for a simple Communion.
Readings – Isaiah 52:13—53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25; John 18:1—19:42.
The Great Vigil of Easter – This celebratory service is the “Midnight Mass” of Easter, celebrating the re-emergence of the light into a world that had been plunged suddenly into darkness. Appropriate to the day, we begin in darkness, until a single flame appears to kindle the new Paschal candle, and the candles of the whole congregation are lighted. The candle is blessed and dipped in the water of baptism, amidst the strains of the ancient Paschaltide canticle, The Exsultet. We then hear excerpts from Scripture retelling the history of God’s saving actions, before reaffirming the faith of our own baptism as we give thanks over the water which symbolizes our new birth.
Readings: Genesis 1:1—2:4; Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21; Isaiah 55:1-11; Baruch 3:9-15, 32—4:4; Psalm 114; Romans 6:3-11; Matthew 28:1-10.
Easter Sunday – “The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!” And so begins a fifty-day celebration of the faith we proclaim: Jesus has risen from dead, and in so doing vanquished the power of evil to dominate our lives, and the fate of death to obliterate our lives. The message of Easter – love, light, and life – are summarized in this season!
Readings – Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18.
- The Rev’d Neil Fernyhough
© Richard Neil Fernyhough, 2008
