Services online
Sunday, April 2, Palm Sunday, 10:50AM, Liturgy of the Palms, 11AM Eucharist
The St Peter’s congregation commemorates this triumphal entry into Jerusalem by gathering behind the church for the blessing of the palms and then processing to the front of the church, all the while shouting, ”Hosanna, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” and making a celebratory racket with various noise makers.
The service that follows carries the congregation on a whirlwind trip through the events of Holy Week, a summary of Jesus’ last days before being crucified. The gospel ends with Jesus having been crucified and placed in a tomb which Pilate’s soldiers seal with a stone.
Wednesday, April 5, 7PM—TENEBRAE
Tenebrae (which is Latin for “darkness”) is based on the ancient monastic night and early morning services during the last three days of Holy Week. The Book of Occasional Services has drawn elements of all these services together so that all can share in “an extended meditation upon, and a prelude to the events in our Lord’s life between the Last Supper and the Resurrection.” The use of readings from Lamentations, and Psalms that Jesus certainly would have known and prayed during his last days, and the extinguishing of candles throughout the service provide a powerful entrance into the events of Holy Week.
Thursday, April 6, 7PM—MAUNDY THURSDAY
The name Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin “mandatum” (commandment) and refers to the new commandment that Jesus gives to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34) to his disciples at the Last Supper. The Maundy Thursday service commemorates the Last Supper and focuses on two things Jesus did at the Last Supper: washing of the disciples’ feet and instituting the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
The St Peter’s service will include foot washing, Holy Communion, and the removal of everything from the altar, at the end of the service, known as “the stripping of the altar.” The service ends in silence. A time of prayer and meditation after the service acts as a reminder of the hours that Jesus and his disciples spent praying in the Garden of Gethsemane after the meal they had shared.
Friday, April 7, 7PM—GOOD FRIDAY
At 7PM, the Good Friday Liturgy opens in silence. The altar is bare and empty. John’s account of the Passion, the solemn collects, which are prayers dating back to the Christians in ancient Rome, and the veneration of the cross, a custom that dates back to the fourth century, carries participants to the cross and into sorrow, and the contemplation of the magnitude of the generous gift of Jesus’ obedience to God and God’s merciful and saving love for all of creation.
Sunday, April 9, 7AM – EASTER SUNRISE at the home of Alex and Nancy Long
Sunday, April 9, 11AM – EASTER SUNDAY HOLY EUCHARIST AT ST PETER’S
The Easter Day service is the principal celebration of the church year –the day when God resurrects Jesus from the dead. Please plan to attend and celebrate!