I once heard someone describe liturgy as “immersive theater.”

When we gather on Sundays there’s a story being told, but it’s not just a story that we listen to. It’s a story we participate in—that we act out together with our bodies. We stand, kneel, speak and sing, lending our own voices to the script. We immerse ourselves in the story of redemption by enacting it through word and sacrament.

We also enact this story through the liturgical calendar. The different seasons of the church year help us rehearse the different themes of redemption. As we recount God’s works in history, we learn to live inside of them more fully today.

Holy Week is the pinnacle of this narrative. It is our Superbowl, our most important event of the year. Through the special services of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter, we commemoratively walk with Jesus through his passion and resurrection, becoming imaginative participants in the story—so that we be changed by it again.

We never graduate from the gospel. We can only go deeper in it. Holy Week is one powerful way to do that. I invite you to join us beginning on Sunday for these special services. As you anticipate them, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • First, coming to all the services may feel like a lot, but that’s kind of the point: it’s immersive. The deeper you dive in, the more fully you will be able to “feel” the story.
  • Second, try to clear your schedule as much as possible otherwise. The events we’ll be reflecting on together are heavy: Jesus’ betrayal and abandonment; his crucifixion; our sin. It is good to give these themes some space to breathe in our minds and calendars.
  • Third, consider a way to mark “Holy Saturday” in anticipation of Easter. It’s a good day to go for a hike, work in your garden, or spend some time being quiet. (If you’re interested in the significance of this day in the Christian story, I wrote a bit about it here.)

However you come, come in the hope that all of this stuff about Jesus’ death and resurrection isn’t just a story. It’s also the truth—which changes everything.

Hannah+