I LOVE HOLY WEEK.
Last Night’s Maundy Thursday service was really wonderful. Pastor Chuck and Jason did a dialog sermon that focused on the INCREDIBLE gift of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) for the past for the present and for the future. Jesus first gave us this gift on the night before He died on the cross. As the time for leaving the earth as a man approached, He gave us a way to have Him with us in a real and tangible meal forever.
I really connect with a practice that comes at the conclusion of the Maundy Thursday service–really a preparation for today (Good Friday). The altar is stripped bare of everything. With reverence, people enter the altar area and take everything off: communion ware, paraments (the colorful cloths that hang off the altar–in Lent they are purple), the book stand, the Bible, the white linen cloths…EVERYTHING. As this happens, Scriptures are read that talk about Jesus’ giving himself over to crucified: “He humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2: 
When the altar is completely empty, a child carries forward the thorn of crowns and lays it on the altar. For me the moment is weighted by the pain that Jesus was willing to undergo for me and for all of us. That’s what we’re down to, friends: a Crown of Thorns.
Thank You, Jesus.
March 21, 2008 at 10:10 am
I love this tradition too. Last night I was trying to figure out what makes it so powerful to me. I think watching people remove things from the altar feels like such a loss and an ending. I also love that at our church, people of different ages and genders help with it; it’s a reminder that this happened for *all* of us. It’s personal.
And I love that we can focus on the suffering and sadness and pain within the broader story. I cannot wait for Easter.
March 21, 2008 at 10:26 am
Jaime–the generational piece is huge for me. I absolutely love it when we do things that encompass the whole of the generations…the church is one of the only places in our culture where that can happen. It’s one of the big reasons I am not in favor of removing kids from worship…where else do they do an activity WITH all the generations present??!? We can do better at helping that be meaningful (one way is to keep including kids and youth in ways like the ritual last night!!), for sure, but having us ALL there is so awesome. Thanks for posting, Jaime.
March 21, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I think it’s funny that an 8 (as in Philippians 2:8 ) followed by a ) makes a smiley guy with sunglasses.
