Holy Week Services
Holy Week is a very special and sacred time in the Church year, in which Christians all over the world remember and celebrate the last week of Jesus' earthly life. There are many different ways of remembering and celebrating.
Maundy Thursday
On this day, Christians remember that last night of Jesus' life. Services often revolve around the celebration of the Passover turned Last Supper. On this night, Jesus and his closest friends and disciples celebrated the Passover, an event which celebrated freedom from Egyptian slavery 1600 years before, at a time when the Jewish people lived under Roman oppression. It was a very appropriate but dangerous time to celebrate freedom! Jesus takes two of the food items of the Passover meal, unleavened bread and wine, and gives them new meaning and significance. Jesus encourages his followers to see the bread and wine as symbols of his body and blood, which would be violently taken from him the next day.
Many Christian services this day celebrate Eucharistic hospitality as a way to remember that last night Jesus spent with his friends and disciples.
On this day, Christians are reminded that we too are called to participate in the renewing of our relationship with God and each other and with the world in which we live. We are also called to live as people who are set free from guilt and shame, oppression and violence.
Holy Trinity will be celebrating this Maundy Thursday (in 2024) on Thursday, March 28 at 7:00 pm.
Good Friday
This is a day on which Christians remember Jesus' death by crucifixion. In the Roman world, crucifixion was reserved for those who resisted the Roman presence in the Holy Land (and other conquered territories) and its ideologies. Many tens of thousands of people died in this terribly painful way.
Good Friday is called 'good' not because Jesus died, but because of what we experience of grace, forgiveness, joy, peace and love, as a result of that death. Services are often solemn reminders that standing up for one's faith and for the integrity of one's beliefs can sometimes lead to persecution...even death.
In 2024, Holy Trinity will be hosting a Cross Walk on Friday, March 29 at 9:30 am. We will be meeting at Holy Trinity and walking through our neighbourhood and the walk will end at Holy Trinity, where our Good Friday service will be held at 10:30 am.
All are welcome!
Easter Sunday
Easter is probably the most holy day and celebration of the Christian religion, with Christmas as a close second.
On this day, Christians celebrate the resurrection, Jesus' overcoming the finality and the confines of death. Different Christians understand the events of this day in different ways with different theological perspectives and meanings. However, this day represents newness of life to all Christians, regardless of their perspective.
Easter is a day to celebrate God's emphatic 'yes' to us all, and God's emphatic 'no' to those things which keep us from understanding and experiencing our fullest potential as people of faith. We celebrate, joyfully, that we are loved by a God of radical grace and acceptance!
In 2024, Holy Trinity will be celebrating Easter on Sunday, March 31 at 10:30 am!
You are most welcome to join us for any and all of these services!
May the peace, joy, love, grace and hope of the Easter season be with you and with all those you love today and everyday!