Holy Week Musings

Holy Week has always been a time full of activity for us. Even as a kid, our family was always at the church whenever anything was happening there. At an early age I learned that there was a service of Holy Communion on Thursday night, that Friday was the day Jesus died, and we got out of school for that, Saturday was usually the giant Easter Egg hunt at the city park, and Easter itself--well, Easter was another event entirely!

Looking forward to Easter held almost the same mystery that looking forward to Christmas had. As children we learned it was the celebration of Jesus rising from the Grave. We also learned, but never fully understood, that there was a mystical connection between Jesus and the Easter Bunny. Somehow the unleavened bread and grapejuice of Thursday night's service was changed into the wonder of chocolate candy and marshmellow bunnies. The cross was replaced by the Easter basket. The hidden Jesus was replaced by hidden eggs. I know. Childish connections, but they were all the understanding I had for years.

I've been thinking about these connections, past and present, and reflecting upon how little has changed over the years. 5th graders in Sunday School did not know who Judas was. The church hosted its giant Easter Egg hunt on Wednesday before Holy Thursday...because that was the day they usually meet and all the kids were there (as well as about 30 others who showed up for the eggs). The youth "hid" 1400 candy and note-stuffed plastic eggs around our Community Center building. We had way over 100 children there for the harvest. I think it took them about 25 minutes to recover all the eggs. As far as cultivating expressions of pure greed go, you can't beat a good Easter egg hunt. As kids get older the potential for violence and egg-stealing grows too. I intervened in several little arguments, solving most by offering to take both parties' eggs off their hands and give them to kids who were behaving. (sigh). The kids were, by and large, good kids, and happy with their Easter Egg Hunt experience. I noticed that while most kids came in their school clothes, several girls were decked out in Easter dresses, little heels, jewelery, etc. Mama was usually close by with a camera. Perhaps next year we will stage Easter Egg Hunt pictures and sell the photos as a fund-raiser.

Thursday was Holy Thursday. In recent years my church reported they had staged a "Living Last Supper" in the Community Center with all the "Disciples" costumed in character, with lines to be delivered. The setting was based on the DaVinci painting of the Last Supper. But with several of the "key" persons no longer with us, there weren't enough available to fill out the cast.
So I suggested that rather than do it poorly, we opt out of the presentation this year. Later I learned that attendance had been dwindling for that presentation the last couple of years.

So we used the Tennebrae service straight out of the Book of Worship. Some hymns and scripture, some times of silence and prayer. No sermon. A small group of the faithful gathered.
I selected the oldest ritual (IV) and used that. It felt good; I had not used that service in ten or twelve years. It is the ritual I grew up on, but more archaic in its language. I enjoyed saying the words and as I said each phrase layers and layers of memories leafed back in my mind. It's hard to describe, but it was, at least for me, a refreshing exercise.

I also used the small individual cups instead of the loaf and chalice of recent times. People came to the rail and knelt or stood to receive the Sacrament. The whole service was simple, but fulfilling.

Today was Good Friday. We stayed in today, working on Easter projects, cleaning house, etc. This evening we drove into Little Rock so Linda could attend Good Friday at her church, Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church. My sister, Anne, is the Worship Pastor there. They have an excellent organist who played the great (electronic) pipe organ as well as the grand piano and led the choir of 15 or so. In the large 900-seat sanctuary, there were 50 or 60 folks attending, a mixture of young, old, and middlers, black, white, straight, gay, a very mixed group.
They used the same liturgy I had used on Holy Thursday for my church, but with grander music, more readers, and an acolyte who extingushed an altar candle after each of the 16 readings from the Scripture. Our son, Michael and my mom sang in the choir. I had the opportunity to think about all the special services I had experienced in that sanctuary after we had moved from Missouri to Little Rock. More than a decade of going through the liturgical cycle and rhythms, seasons, colors, and celebrations. More than a few pastors and staff persons moving through the leadership teams. More than a few worship services serving as usher, choir member, worship participant. Worship spaces have such a profound effect on the ways we see and model our faith.

After the service Anne said her son had gone off with her car keys, so we took her home, then went out to a tiny Greek restaurant and had Gyros and Shishkebab sandwiches for a late supper. Then the hour drive home.

Tomorrow is Holy Saturday, when the disciples kept out of sight, honoring the Sabbath, no doubt confused and afraid of what lay ahead. We will spend it getting ready for Easter, stopping by the bank, shopping for Easter dinner ingredients, flowers, setting up both church worship spaces for the Easter Celebrations on Sunday morning. There are white drapes to hang on the arms of the crosses. Candles to fuel. Lillies to buy and place, ferns to place, bulletins to print, and powerpoint presentations to finish. The local Volunteer Fire Department will hold an Easter Egg Hunt for the children of its members on a portio of our church property. The choir will hold its final rehearsal for the Easter Cantata (to be sung at the 10:45 "Traditional Service" in the Sanctuary).

On Easter Sunday we are NOT having a sunrise service. It IS going to rain on Easter here (70% chance). We are NOT spending gazillions on Easter Candy and plastic grass.

We will have a good crowd, some coming home to match those who are going away for the special day. We will sing the old hymns in both service. I will preach in the first, sing and narrate in the second. And we will proclaim Christ Risen once again. Then we will drive to Mom's in Little Rock to have a late Easter Dinner with the others in the family (and friends).

Sometimes I think all the activity and ritual serves more to obscure the basic message of Easter.
What about you?