This Holy Week message for 2023 comes from the Bishop Provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, the Most Rev. Mellissa Skelton.
A Holy Week message
Greetings people of the Diocese of Olympia. I speak to you today from the traditional and hereditary lands of the Duwamish people.
I don’t enjoy the world of punning, making puns very much. But while I was out for a walk the other day, I thought of a pun on Holy Week that I thought was good that I want to tell you about. Holy Week is also wholly week. Holy Week is also wholly week.
What do I mean by this? During Holy Week, you and I get to walk in the path of the one sent by God to live our lives wholly. That is, completely, fully, all in all, the heights, the depths, the strange in between times, everything.
On Palm Sunday, part of what we get to do is to walk in the steps of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with a kind of giddiness.
On Maundy Thursday, we get to sit at table with Jesus and his friends in an intimate meal and engage in an equally intimate foot washing. That same night, we get to watch in fear and helplessness as Jesus is arrested as a part of a betrayal by one of his own.
On Good Friday, we get to witness Jesus’ public execution on a cross and, as a part of this, face our own mortality.
Then finally, on Holy Saturday, we get to wait quietly in between times, not knowing or understanding what’s about to happen next.
Holy Week is our way of experiencing a God whose humanity is wholly reflective of our humanity. It’s also a chance for us to visit and better understand some painful moments in our own lives, past, present, and yet to come. Painful moments that we often just put to the side.
I invite you, I urge you, to walk with Jesus completely, wholly during Holy Week. For His path is the path of our own humanity. His path is the path of life.
—The Most Rev. Mellissa Skelton
The Most Reverend Melissa Skelton
The Most Reverend Melissa Skelton is the Bishop Provisional in the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. The diocese voted to place itself under the authority of Bishop Skelton at the Diocese of Olympia’s 2022 Diocesan Convention.
Bishop Skelton has deep ties to the Diocese of Olympia, previously serving as the rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Seattle and as the Canon for Congregational Development and Leadership for the Diocese of Olympia. During this time, she developed and launched the College for Congregational Development, which continues to this day and is currently hosted by eight dioceses across the Episcopal Church.
In 2013, Bishop Skelton was elected 9th Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster [Vancouver], The Anglican Church of Canada. In 2018, she was elected Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon, making her the first woman in the Anglican Church of Canada to hold the position of Archbishop.
Before her time in the Diocese of Olympia, Bishop Skelton served as rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Castine, Maine, while also serving as the Executive Director of a land trust. Prior to this, she was Vice President for Consumer Products and Community Engagement at Tom’s of Maine, Vice President for Administration at The General Theological Seminary, and Brand Manager at The Proctor & Gamble Company. While at General Seminary, she served as the Director of the College for Bishops.
Bishop Skelton holds a Master of Arts in English from the University of South Carolina, a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Chicago, and a Master if Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary. Additionally, she completed a certificate in Organization Development at the NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science. After retiring from the Anglican Church of Canada, Bishop Skelton returned to the Diocese of Olympia to serve as a Bishop Assisting. She is married to the Rev. Eric Stroo, a mental health counselor and a deacon in the Episcopal Church. Between them they have three children and five grandchildren.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County. We welcome you be with us as we walk the way of Jesus.
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 journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, communities are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Together, we will reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings. Together, we will walk through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption.
Throughout Lent, come along with us as we explore Life Transformed: The Way of Love in Lent, produced by Hillary Raining and Jenifer Gamber. You can find resources mentioned below at iam.ec/lifetransformed.
Week 6
Sunday, April 2
Today’s Practice: Watch the Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining’s video at iam.ec/lifetransformed for Week 6. The topic is based on the practice “Worship” and is titled, “The Gathering of God’s People.”
Today’s Prompt: Listen to the daily office today at missionstclare.com
Read: “Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice.” – Psalm 55:17
Tuesday, April 4
Today’s Prompt: How do you want to prepare people to remember you?
Read: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Wednesday, April 5
Today’s Prompt: When you reflect on financial giving, are your palms open?
Read: “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order.” – Matthew 12:43-44
Thursday, April 6
Today’s Prompt: Who might you have a conversation with to learn about God?
Read: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” – Psalm 119:105
Friday, April 7
Today’s Prompt: How did you turn back towards God’s love when you made a big mistake?
Read: “I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.’” – Luke 15:18
Saturday, April 8
Today’s Prompt: Who can support you in living a Jesus-centered life?
Read: “Our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” – 2 Corinthians 3:6
This weekly bulletin insert provides information about the history, music, liturgy, mission, and ministry of The Episcopal Church. For more information, please contact us at stw@episcopalchurch.org.
Sermons That Work
For more than 20 years, Sermons That Work, a ministry of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Communication, has provided free sermons, Bible studies, bulletin inserts, and other resources that speak to congregations across the Church. Our writers and readers come from numerous and varied backgrounds, and the resources we provide are used in small house churches, sprawling cathedrals, and everything between.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. 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. The campus is 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.
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.
The history of the Good Friday Offering reaches back to 1922. In the aftermath of World War I, The Episcopal Church sought to create new relationships with and among the Christians of the Middle East. These initial efforts focused on a combination of relief work and the improvement of ecumenical and Anglican relations. From that, the Good Friday Offering was created.
Through the years many Episcopalians have found the Good Friday Offering to be an effective way to express their support for the ministries of the three dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Pastoral care, education, and health care continue to be primary ministries through which the reconciling spirit of the Christian faith serves all in need. Participation in this ministry is welcome. The generous donations of Episcopalians help the Christian presence in the Land of the Holy One to be a vital and effective force for peace and understanding among all of God’s children.
For 101 years, Episcopalians have generously shared their love, compassion, and financial gifts to support the ministry of the Anglican Communion Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. These gifts have made an astounding difference in the lives of many people in the homeland of Jesus and beyond. Check out our history of the Good Friday Offering to learn more about this life-changing ministry.
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 prayerful Sister Tammy-Scholastica, a vowed member of the Order of Benedictine Canons in South Dakota. She is a devoted grandmother and enjoys biking and being active in her communities.
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.
In this fourth 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 Good Friday. The texts covered in this episode are Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Psalm 22, and John 18:1-19:42.
The Rev. Chanta Bhan, associate priest at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Austin, Texas. As the only active women priest of Pakistani descent in the Anglican Communion, she is passionate about advocating for justice, dignity, and respect for every human being as an outworking of our Baptismal Covenant.
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.
In this third 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 Maundy Thursday. The texts covered in this episode are Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14, and John 13:1-17, 31b-35.
Our guests this week are the following:
The Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining, rector of St. Christopher’s Church in Gladwyne, Penn., and creator of The Hive online spirituality and wellness digital community. Additionally, Hillary is a beekeeper, yoga and meditation instructor, and a forest therapist.
The Rev. Dr. Erin Kirby, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Marion, in the Diocese of Western North Carolina. She is a Sacred Ground facilitator and is committed to social justice, racial reconciliation, and seeing the Sacred in all of Creation.
The Rev. Christopher McNabb, an Episcopal priest living in Seattle, Wash. He’s passionate about ministry with first responders, especially EMS, as well as the rights and the needs of immigrant communities. When not working, he’s out exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest with his dog, Lucky.
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.
In this second 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 Palm Sunday. The texts covered in this episode are Matthew 21:1-11, Matthew 26:14-27:66, and Psalm 31:9-16.
Our guests this week are the following:
The Rev. Fred Clarkson, the Spanish-language ministry coordinator for the Diocese of East Carolina and priest-in-charge at La Sagrada Familia Episcopal Church in Newton Grove, N.C. Fr. Fred hails from Bogota, Colombia, and is the dad to his dog, Joy, whom you may hear during the podcast.
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 devotion known as the Way of the Cross is an adaptation to local usage of a custom widely observed by pilgrims to Jerusalem: the offering of prayer at a series of places in that city traditionally associated with our Lord’s passion and death.
This version is taken primarily from the Book of Occasional Services 2018 of the Episcopal Church. Verses from the hymn “At the cross her station keeping” are added for optional use each station.
This presentation is meant for a simple, quiet devotion. Others may prefer other versions, including the multimedia version of the stations offered by Building Faith at Virginia Theological Seminary, based on the same Book of Occasional Services service used here. There are other versions, such as the Everyone’s Way of the Cross.
This may be used for personal devotions or by a group of people.
If used by a group, the presider at the service, whether clerical or lay, customarily leads the opening versicle at each station and reads the concluding collect (prayer). The readings (and the versicles and responses which follow) are appropriately assigned to other persons. Others in a group also say the text in italics, unless otherwise noted.
The pictures for each station used is from the set of Stations of the Cross used at Church of the Redeemer. The header image is of the Cross icon at Church of the Redeemer. The Christus Rex (Jesus wearing priestly garb on the Cross) is in the chapel at Redeemer. The outdoor cross is in the Memorial Garden.
Opening Devotions
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
¶ Presider and People:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
V. We will glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ:
R. In whom is our salvation, our life and resurrection.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts, whereby you have given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
First Station: Jesus is condemned to death
At the cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him to Pilate. And they all condemned him and said, “He deserves to die.” When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. Then he handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.
V. God did not spare his own Son:
R. But delivered him up for us all.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Second Station: Jesus takes up his Cross
Through her heart, his sorrow sharing, All his bitter anguish bearing, Now at length the sword has passed.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Jesus went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. Like a lamb he was led to the slaughter; and like a sheep that before its shearers is mute, so he opened not his mouth. Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.
V. The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all:
R. For the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Almighty God, whose beloved Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption: Give us courage to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Third Station: Jesus falls the first time
Oh, how sad and sore distressed Was that Mother highly blest Of the sole begotten One!
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped; but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and was born in human likeness. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name. Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, and kneel before the Lord our Maker, for he is the Lord our God.
V. Surely he has borne our griefs:
R. And carried our sorrows.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, you know us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright: Grant us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Fourth Station: Jesus meets his afflicted mother
Christ above in torment hangs; She beneath beholds the pangs Of her dying, glorious Son.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
To what can I liken you, to what can I compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? What likeness can I use to comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For vast as the sea is your ruin. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.
V. A sword will pierce your own soul also:
R. And fill your heart with bitter pain.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, who willed that in the passion of your Son a sword of grief should pierce the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary his mother: Mercifully grant that your Church, having shared with her in his passion, may be made worthy to share in the joys of his resurrection; who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal One, Have mercy upon us.
Fifth Station: The Cross is laid on Simon of Cyrene
Is there one who would not weep, ‘Whelmed in miseries so deep, Christ’s dear Mother to behold?
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
As they led Jesus away, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross to carry it behind Jesus. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
V. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me:
R. Cannot be my disciple.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son came not to be served but to serve: Bless all who, following in his steps, give themselves to the service of others; that with wisdom, patience, and courage, they may minister in his Name to the suffering, the friendless, and the needy; for the love of him who laid down his life for us, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Sixth Station: A woman wipes the face of Jesus
Can the human heart refrain From partaking in her pain, In that Mother’s pain untold?
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
We have seen him without beauty or majesty, with no looks to attract our eyes. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of men. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.
V. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts:
R. Show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Seventh Station: Jesus falls a second time
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, She beheld her tender Child, All with bloody scourges rent.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. For the transgression of my people was he stricken.
V. But as for me, I am a worm and no man:
R. Scorned by all and despised by the people.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
For the sins of his own nation, Saw him hang in desolation Till his spirit forth he sent.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
There followed after Jesus a great multitude of the people, and among them were women who bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”
V. Those who sowed with tears:
R. Will reap with songs of joy.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Teach your Church, O Lord, to mourn the sins of which it is guilty, and to repent and forsake them; that, by your pardoning grace, the results of our iniquities may not be visited upon our children and our children’s children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Ninth Station: Jesus falls a third time
O sweet Mother! fount of love, Touch my spirit from above, Make my heart with yours accord.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light. He has besieged me and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; he has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago. Though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer. He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes. “Remember, O Lord, my affliction and bitterness, the wormwood and the gall!”
V. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter:
R. And like a sheep that before its shearers is mute, so he opened not his mouth.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments
Make me feel as you have felt; Make my soul to glow and melt With the love of Christ, my Lord.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull), they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And they divided his garments among them by casting lots. This was to fulfill the scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing.”
V. They gave me gall to eat:
R. And when I was thirsty they gave me vinegar to drink.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross
Holy Mother, pierce me through, In my heart each wound renew Of my Savior crucified.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
When they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him; and with him they crucified two criminals, one on the right, the other on the left, and Jesus between them. And the scripture was fulfilled which says, “He was numbered with the transgressors.”
V. They pierce my hands and my feet:
R. They stare and gloat over me.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the Cross
Let me share with you his pain, Who for all our sins was slain, Who for me in torments died.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And when Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” And then, crying with a loud voice, he said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” And he bowed his head, and handed over his spirit.
V. Christ for us became obedient unto death:
R. Even death on a cross.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; who lives and reigns now and for ever. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Thirteenth Station: The body of Jesus is placed in the arms of his mother
Let me mingle tears with thee, Mourning him who mourned for me, All the days that I may live:
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
All you who pass by, behold and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow. My eyes are spent with weeping; my soul is in tumult; my heart is poured out in grief because of the downfall of my people. “Do not call me Naomi (which means Pleasant), call me Mara (which means Bitter); for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.”
V. Her tears run down her cheeks:
R. And she has none to comfort her.
Let us pray. (Silence)
Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your tender mercies’ sake. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb
By the cross with you to stay, There with you to weep and pray, This I ask of you to give.
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb.
V. You will not abandon me to the grave:
R. Nor let your holy One see corruption.
Let us pray. (Silence)
O God, your blessed Son was laid in a tomb in a garden, and rested on the Sabbath day: Grant that we who have been buried with him in the waters of baptism may find our perfect rest in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy upon us.
Concluding Prayers
Savior of the world, by your cross and precious blood you have redeemed us: Save us, and help us, we humbly beseech you, O Lord.
Let us pray. (Silence)
We thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered us from the dominion of sin and death and brought us into the kingdom of your Son; and we pray that, as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his love he may raise us to eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
To Christ our Lord who loves us, and washed us in his own blood, and made us a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. 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.
Spring forward this Sunday, March 8, 2026. Daylight saving time starts.
Stop by The Hangar at Kenmore Town Square anytime between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm for Ashes to Go on Ash Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
3rd Sunday in Lent (Year A), March 8, 2026. Services at 8:00 am (no music) and 10:30 (music). Christian education for children and adults at 9:15 am. Spring forward one hour for the start of Daylight Saving Time.
