My favorite week of the year

I love this week in the church year. You don’t see many “Maundy Thursday servant towel sales” or advertisements for a “Good Friday Beer Bash.”

Since I was a boy, I’ve grown up with a thought filled observation of what God has done for us in Jesus during this week marking the events of Christ’s passion.

I remember as a child attending Palm Sunday worship where I marched into the worship space with other kids, waving our palm branches and singing “Hosanna!”

I remember sitting in a pew at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Long Beach, CA listening to Dolores sing “Were You There?” with a haunting voice on Good Friday. Our pastor, Ted Conter, stayed at the altar knelt in prayer, long after the service ended.

I remember attending my first Easter Vigil Service in Erie, PA in 1989 with my brother Jon, who was serving a rural parish at the time. I never heard of the Easter Vigil service until that time. It is a part of the three day “Triduum”-the days leading up to Easter.
The elements of that service, from the “new fire” burning in a fire pit outside of the church to the twelve readings from the Bible, to the unveiling of the altar close to midnight to celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the tomb, have stayed with me over the years.

I remember as a teenager, rehearsing musical fanfares to be played at the Easter sunrise service. My brother Kurt and I left a spring break vacation in Los Angeles to make the two hour drive home to San Diego for the rehearsals.

Growing up, the practice of attending Holy Week worship services and being a participant in those services brought depth and meaning to my Christian faith. I became a part of "the salvation story."

I hope you find depth and meaning in worship this week, as we reflect on our Lord’s passion.