Easter

Please join us for Holy Week and Easter celebrations at Robertson-Wesley

Holy Week and Easter

The centre of Christian faith is the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. Consequently the celebrations of Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday and concluding with Easter Sunday are the central worship event of the Christian Year. Of this week, the 72 hour period from Maundy Thursday evening through to Easter Sunday evening is the most significant. Known as the Triduum, these three days are not so much a period in which we celebrate a series of disconnected worship services; rather, the Maundy Thursday service, the Good Friday service, the Easter Vigil, the Sunrise Service and the Easter Sunday service are joined together as one long worship time during which we go home for rest breaks. So let us consider what is going on during Holy Week and the Triduum in particular.

Palm Sunday

This service marks the beginning of Holy Week with the exuberant palm processional, recalling Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In contrast to the joyful opening mood, the service moves toward a more sombre ending, leading into the passion (suffering) mood of Holy Week. The journey to the cross and the empty tomb has begun.

Holy Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

Brief afternoon services Through these three services we enter into the journey of Jesus, preparing for the central celebrations of Thursday through Sunday.

The Triduum begins - Maundy Thursday service

The Maundy Thursday service is the traditional opening movement of these three sacred days. We gather to remember Jesus' last meal with his disciples before his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. There are three main elements to this service the celebration of communion, the washing of feet and a prayer vigil. Each element is an experience of humble service and self-sacrificing love. The foot-washing is a profound statement of love, an intimate gesture of humility, often performed only by mothers and fathers for their children. Heeding Jesus' command to wash each other's feet, some traditions consider this ritual to be a sacrament. The service concludes with a prayer vigil remembering Jesus' time of prayer in Gethsemane. There will be special music provided by soloists and reflective music for meditation as we prepare for Good Friday, the second half of the first day of the Triduum.

Good Friday service

The central focus of this first day of the Triduum is the liturgy for Good Friday.

Easter Vigil service

As the sun descends on Good Friday, we begin the second day of the Triduum. We reflect on our own as we recall the deep grief of Jesus' followers, especially those who carried his lifeless body to the tomb. We recall this together as we begin the vigil in darkness. As the day fades and the night comes, we move into the third day of the Triduum. As we recall the sacred story, we celebrate how death is transformed into life, and darkness gives way to light. We kindle new fire and light our new Christ candle. We give thanks for the gift of baptism though which we share in Jesus' risen life. We share special music provided by our soloists as we move from darkness toward light. As the 90-minute service concludes, we look forward to the arrival of sunrise.

Easter Sunrise service

Led by Koinonia (usually outdoors) Traditionally, the vigil of Easter would continue long into the night until the sun rose. Having baptized new members, the community would celebrate resurrection in the morning light by sharing communion. In a sense our sunrise service is an extension of the previous vigil. We return to watch the sun rise, announcing again the Easter story. Rather than communion, we share breakfast.

Easter Sunday service

We gather to celebrate the highlight of our third day of the Triduum with an intergenerational (Whole Family) style of worship, with the children and youth remaining with the rest of the congregation throughout the service. For the joyful music of Easter, the organ and Choir of Robertson-Wesley are complemented by the bright accents of brass, all brought together by music director Tammy-Jo Mortensen.

Together, the services of Holy Week are a journey with Jesus in his last week. As we come together in prayer and reflection from Maundy Thursday through to Easter Sunday, may these three days be a time of both reflection and renewal for us all.