In this final episode of season 6 of Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community, we speak with Episcopalians committed to the Beloved Community about the texts for Easter Day. The texts covered in this episode are Jeremiah 31:1-6, John 20:1-18, and Matthew 28:1-10.
The Rev. Peggy Lo, rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas. She has been an organizer, translator, and nonprofit administrator. Peggy is a passionate community member and wants our listeners to know that there are great vegetarian options in Austin.
Prophetic Voices is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s staff officer for Racial Reconciliation. For more information on Becoming Beloved Community, visit iam.ec/becomingbelovedcommunity.
Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community
Across our church and our society, we are having profound dialogues about race, truth, justice, and healing. Coming this Advent, Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community explores where that dialogue intersects with our faith. Join us and our invited guests as we share prophetic voices and explore the readings for each week of Advent and Christmas Day through the lens of social justice.
You’ll hear ancient texts interpreted in new ways, find fodder for preaching and teaching, and make present day connections to the prophetic voices of the Bible. This podcast will help us rethink how we hear, see, and interact with the lectionary readings.
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The services for Holy Week and Easter Day at Redeemer
From early times Christians observed the week before Easter with special devotion. By the late fourth century, we know Jerusalem contained sites for devotion and liturgy. Many pilgrims followed the path of Jesus in the days leading up to the Crucifixion. They formed processions, worshipped where Christ suffered and died, and venerated relics.
From this start, we observe specific devotions on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Day. The services at Redeemer provide an experience of the days leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
The services at Redeemer this Holy Week and Easter:
On the Sunday before Easter, we recall Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and Jesus’ Passion on the Cross. It is known as Palm Sunday or the Sunday of the Passion. This is the first day of Holy Week. Worship services are at 8:00 am and 10:30 on Sunday, April 2.
The pilgrim Egeria witnessed the observance of Palm Sunday in Jerusalem in about 381-384. There was a procession of people down the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem waving branches of palms or olive trees. They sang psalms, including Psalm 118, and shouted the antiphon, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” We will re-enact this procession as we start our worship.
After the Liturgy of the Palms, the service changes abruptly from the triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the solemnity of the Passion.
Maundy Thursday is the Thursday in Holy Week. It is the first part of the Triduum, or three holy days before Easter. Worship services are at 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm on Thursday, April 6.
The name “Maundy” comes from the Latin phrase mandatum novum, “new commandment,” from John 13:34. The ceremony of washing feet was also referred to as “the Maundy.” This also commemorates the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus “on the night he was betrayed.”
The 7:00 pm service will include the washing of feet (optional for everyone) and the stripping of the altar to prepare for Good Friday. This is followed by a Gethsemane Vigil for about an hour: Can you watch with me for one hour?
The Friday before Easter Day is Good Friday, the day the church commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a day of fasting and special acts of discipline and self-denial. Worship services are at 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm on Friday, April 7.
In the early church candidates for baptism, joined by others, fasted for a day or two before the Paschal feast. In the western church, the first of those days eventually acquired the character of historical reenactment of the passion and death of Christ.
The Easter Vigil is the first and, arguably, the primary celebration of Easter. It is also known as the Great Vigil. This important worship starts at 9:00 pm on Saturday, April 8, running 2-3 hours.
The service begins in darkness. It consists of four parts:
The Service of Light. This starts the service with the kindling of new fire and the lighting the Paschal candle.
The Service of Lessons. This has readings from the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with psalms, canticles, and prayers.
Christian Initiation. This is the sacrament of Holy Baptism and/or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows by all present.
The Eucharist. This celebrates the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood, and is the principal act of Christian worship. The word Eucharist is from the Greek word for “thanksgiving.” Christ’s body and blood are really present in the sacrament of the Eucharist and received by faith. Christ’s presence is also known in the gathered eucharistic community.
This liturgy recovers an ancient practice of keeping the Easter feast. Believers gathered in the hours of darkness ending at dawn on Easter to hear scripture and offer prayer. This night-long service of prayerful watching anticipated the baptisms that would come at first light and the following Easter Eucharist.
Easter is the feast of Christ’s resurrection. The first service is at 7:00 am on April 9 in the Memorial Garden, weather permitting. If the weather isn’t permitting, the service moves to our chapel. This will be a smaller, more intimate service, to encounter Our Lord in the garden.
Easter Morning Service, April 9 at 10:30 am
Easter is the feast of Christ’s resurrection. The regular morning service is at 10:30 am on April 9 in the main church building.
Easter Day is the annual feast of the resurrection, the Pascha or Christian Passover. Faith in Jesus’ resurrection on the Sunday, or third day following his crucifixion, is at the heart of Christian belief.
This day starts the Easter Season, the Great 50 Days. It lasts until the Feast of Pentecost, celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The important thing to remember is that you come to worship. That is first and foremost. The rest is just details. No one will judge you. It is OK to ask questions.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
Come, join us at Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington, for Holy Week and Easter in 2022. We welcome everyone to experience meaningful worship with us.
To protect those who have yet to vaccinate, can’t vaccinate, or are immunocompromised, masks on until it is gone. We are maintaining masking at Redeemer even though government mandates are over. Please observe social distancing.
From early times Christians have observed the week before Easter as a time of special devotion. As the pilgrim Egeria recorded in the late fourth century, Jerusalem contained many sacred places that were sites for devotion and liturgy. Numerous pilgrims to the holy city followed the path of Jesus in his last days. They formed processions, worshipped where Christ suffered and died, and venerated relics.
From this beginning evolved the rites we observe today on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. These services provide a liturgical experience of the last days of Jesus’ earthly life, as well as the time and events leading up to his resurrection.
On Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, we recall Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and Jesus’ Passion on the Cross. It is also known as the Sunday of the Passion. Palm Sunday is the first day of Holy Week. Worship services are at 8:00 am (in-person, no music) and 10:00 am (in-person, livestreamed, music) on Sunday, April 10.
The pilgrim Egeria witnessed the observance of Palm Sunday in Jerusalem in about 381-384. During this observance there was a procession of people down the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. The people waved branches of palms or olive trees as they walked. They sang psalms, including Psalm 118, and shouted the antiphon, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
The Liturgy of the Palms starts the service. After the Liturgy of the Palms, the service changes focus abruptly from the triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the solemnity of the Passion.
Maundy Thursday is the Thursday in Holy Week. It is part of the Triduum, or three holy days before Easter. Worship services are at 12:00 noon (in-person, no music) and 7:00 pm (in-person, livestreamed, music) on Thursday, April 14.
The name “Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum novum, “new commandment,” from John 13:34. The ceremony of washing feet was also referred to as “the Maundy.” Maundy Thursday celebrations also commemorate the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus “on the night he was betrayed.”
Egeria, a fourth-century pilgrim to Jerusalem, describes elaborate celebrations and observances in that city on Maundy Thursday. The Council of Hippo attested to the special celebration of the institution of the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday.
Following the evening Maundy Thursday service of Holy Communion, there will be an hour watch before the Altar of Repose at Redeemer.
Before the Cross on Good Friday
Good Friday, April 15
Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Day, on which the church commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a day of fasting and special acts of discipline and self-denial. Stations of the Cross is at 12:00 noon and the Good Friday worship service is at 7:00 pm on Friday, April 15.
In the early church candidates for baptism, joined by others, fasted for a day or two before the Paschal feast. In the West, the first of those days eventually acquired the character of historical reenactment of the passion and death of Christ.
The Easter Vigil is the liturgy intended as the first and, arguably, the primary celebration of Easter in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. It is also known as the Great Vigil. This important worship starts at 9:00 pm on Saturday, April 16, running 2-3 hours.
The service begins in darkness and consists of four parts:
The Service of Light. This starts the service with the kindling of new fire and the lighting the Paschal candle.
The Service of Lessons. This has readings from the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with psalms, canticles, and prayers.
Christian Initiation. This is the sacrament of Holy Baptism and/or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows by all present.
The Eucharist. The sacrament of Christ’s body and blood, and the principal act of Christian worship. The term Eucharist is from the Greek, “thanksgiving.” Christ’s body and blood are really present in the sacrament of the Eucharist and received by faith. Christ’s presence is also known in the gathered eucharistic community.
This liturgy recovers an ancient practice of keeping the Easter feast. Believers would gather in the hours of darkness ending at dawn on Easter to hear scripture and offer prayer. This night-long service of prayerful watching anticipated the baptisms that would come at first light and the Easter Eucharist.
The Easter Gospel proclamation on Easter Day: He is risen!
Easter Day, April 17
Easter is the feast of Christ’s resurrection. Worship services are at 8:00 am (in-person, no music) and 10:00 am (in-person, livestreamed, music) on Sunday, April 17.
Easter Day is the annual feast of the resurrection, the Pascha or Christian Passover, and the eighth day of cosmic creation. Faith in Jesus’ resurrection on the Sunday, or third day following his crucifixion, is at the heart of Christian belief.
Easter Day starts the Easter Season, the Great 50 Days. It lasts until the Feast of Pentecost, celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit. During the Easter season there is no fasting.
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
