In some churches, all the stories of Holy Week are read on Palm Sunday. That means going from waving palms to that upstairs room with Jesus and his disciples for the Last Supper, and then directly to the cruifixtion, all in one morning. The Book of Common Prayer offers this as an option, recognizing that those who aren't present for the rest of Holy Week will miss hearing the whole story.

I am of a different mind. This is not just a story we tell, we hear, and remember, but a story we live. And that takes time. It takes intention. It takes space. It begins this weekend but we can’t wrap it up into a neat package Instead, I invite us to take one step at a time. No worries if you aren't able to come to church for Holy Week services - you'll be receiving emails on each Holy Day which will offer ways to honor our story at home. But either way, we'll take the whole week to let the story unfold. And for those who are able, here is how the week will unfold at Saint Anne's:

We'll wave our palms this Sunday, and shout our Hosannas as Jesus enters Jerusalem.

On Maundy Thursday, we'll have a drop-in Open House in the Parish Hall from 5–7 PM with different  opportunities to enter this great story on your own time. There will be art to ponder, music to play, the indoor labyrinth to walk. You can pray in an immersive Garden of Gethsemane. There will be some Middle Eastern food. And an optional footwashing station - remembering the night before Jesus died when he washed the feet of his disciples.
 
At 7 PM on Thursday we’ll have a service where we’ll share bread and wine, the way Jesus did the night he told his disciples that his body would soon be broken like the bread they were sharing – that his blood would soon be poured out like wine. Eat. Drink. Re-member me, he said. And so we do.

On Good Friday, we’ll sit in the shadow of the cross, honoring the fact that sometimes the world feels broken. At noon on Good Friday we'll have a traditional Book of Common Prayer service. At 7 PM we'll have a Tenebrae service where we hear the Seven Last Words of Christ from Scripture, and through music and poetry.  

On Holy Saturday, we’ll go back to the beginning of creation and start all over with the Easter Vigil at 7 PM. We’ll start in the darkness and then light a fire which recalls the dawning of time. Then we’ll sit around that fire bringing ancient stories to life.

And then next Sunday, Easter Morning will dawn, with all of its joy and flowers and singing and hope. But we won’t go there just yet; we have a journey to complete first.

This is our story. My prayer this week is for you to have time and space to breathe deeply, open your heart, and feel yourself stepping in. Hosanna in the highest!

Blessings,
Jennifer