Walking in The Way of The Cross - Preparing for Holy Week

Way back when, Holy Week was actually the original Lent (the seaon of penitence and preparation for Easter). These days, Holy Week is still regarded as particularly important days of preparation for Easter. May I suggest, though, that the importance is such that we should also be thinking about preparing for Holy Week itself.

Holy Week begins with The Sunday of The Passion, this year April 5, and continues with Holy Monday through Holy Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

So-- how to prepare?

* In the coming week, organize a space on your desk (or pc desktop) where you can place a copy of The Bible, The Book of Common Prayer and The Hymnal. There will be daily blog entries here April 5 through 11, with prayer, meditation and reading cues for each day.

* In the next few days, check your calendar and make a plan to dedicate time for participation in the events of Holy Week.
+ The corporate liturgies marking the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem with the waving of palms and the Arrest, "Trial," Torture and Execution of Jesus are observed together in worship on The Sunday of the Passion. Saint Luke's Church, Forest Hills offers liturgies at 8:30 and 10:30am. If yo do not have a home church, come worship with us. If you are too far from Forest Hills, now is the time to check out the web and decide where you will go to begin Holy Week.
+ Holy Monday through Holy Wednesday you could come here, online, and use the daily posted cues for prayer and meditation; you could read Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer; you could check out a church near your place of work--urban parishes tend to have Noon Holy Eucharist during Holy Week.
+ On Maundy Thursday Saint Luke's offers a 6:30pm Community Supper as a quiet prelude to the 7:30pm Holy Eucharist which includes the Ceremony of the Washing of Feet. This is a real roll up your sleeves and get down on your hands and knees act symbolizing the servant ministry to which we are are called. Other churches do the same on this day; again, if you do not have a home parish, check out what is available in your area if Saint Luke's is not a convenient commute.
+ Good Friday-- A Noon service and Evening service (7:30pm) takes place at Saint Luke's. As with April 5 Sunday of The Passion and April 9 Maundy Thursday, check out the space and plan the time for corporate worship.

Don't let the planning slip by, don't skip church, don't say "I don't do Maundy Thursday or Good Friday"; don't say "I'll do it my own way at home or in the office"

HOLY WEEK is both/and-- BOTH corporate worship AND personal/individual prayer and meditation.

"Walking in the Way of The Cross" is the pathway--Christ's way of true life.
The profound depths of Easter/Resurrection cannot be plumbed apart from the walk that begins on Sunday of the Passion; nor apart from the larger community which we profess to be The Body of Christ.

Do the prep! The above entry outlines the worship and study aspects of preparation. There's still one more: preparing for works of mercy.
Holy Week bring us back to our true selves in Christ. This involves giving ourselves away--giving of ourselves freely in service with/for others.

Plan to make your self-offering during Holy Week. Here are four suggestions:

1) Check out http://www.pajamaprogram.org/
This is Saint Luke's Church Lenten Project. We're making our offering on Sunday, April 5. Bring new pajamas (sizes Large children and Small adult) and new reading books (for middle school-aged children, grades 6-9); you can also bring monetary offerings (checks made out to the Pajama Program); or, if Saint Luke's is too far from you, contribute online.

2) www.er-d.org/GiftsForLife is another option. ERD, Episcopal Relief and Development, is the outreach arm of The Episcopal Church. Your individual contribution helps us to offer both arms in a whole embrace as the Body of Christ with people in need.

3) Offer your services to your parish church during Holy Week. Perhaps you could be one of the people participating in the footwashing ceremony on Maundy Thursday or you could read a lesson at the Good Friday service.

4) Perhaps, as you walk in the way of the Cross on The Sunday of The Passion, Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, in addition to whatever financial offering you place in the alms basin, you could write down a note with your name, email and phone #, offering one of your talents to the church. Whether you are a cook or an accountant, a teacher or a plumber, a teen-ager who babysits or a senior who is retired from publishing: whoever you are and whatever your gifts-- you can make space and time sacred by your joyful offering of self.

HOLY WEEK IS A WHOLE WEEK ABOUT THIS KIND OF OFFERING.
Holy Week-- the dedicated space and time to say (as did the Apostle Paul)
"Christ is Life to Me"

[Easter Worship--
The Great Vigil of Easter on Easter Eve, Saturday, April 11 at 7:30pm;
The Day of Resurrection, Easter Day, Sunday, April 12 at 8:30 and 10:30am.
More on Easter next week!]