a Philly Holy Week schedule | Lent 2012

First of all, my church has been raising money to purchase and deliver over 1,000 meals to needy families around the city for Easter. They are delivering these meals on Saturday, and they really need drivers for the deliveries. It would only take 2 or 3 hours of your time, and you can pick which hour you begin. Click here to sign up. Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for this.

Thursday: Maundy Thursday Service
liberti: center city, 17th and sansom, 7pm
This day commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples and his washing of their feet.

Friday: Good Friday Service(s)
liberti: center city, 17th & Sansom, 6:30pm
On Good Friday, Christians remember Jesus’ death on a cross for the sake of the world. liberti will hold a service of songs, Scripture readings, and darkness

city church, at Woodland Pres Church, 42nd & Pine, 7pm (with meditative prelude at 6:45pm)
A Tenebrae service that mournfully observes the darkness of Jesus’ death and our need for God’s redemption (Tenebrae is Latin for “shadows”). Worship with us as our Lenten focus on God’s deliverance culminates in Jesus’ statement on the cross: “It is finished.”
(This is the Good Friday service I always go to. It’s amazing, and if you’d like to join me, let me know. We can carpool.)

Saturday: Holy Saturday Easter Vigil with Choir
Church of the Holy Trinity (the big red church on Rittenhouse Square), 8pm
Known as the Great Vigil of Easter, this service is the first service of Easter Day and recovers an ancient practice dated back to the Fourth Century. The service is celebrated sometime between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Sunday. It consists of four parts: The Service of Light (the kindling of new fire, lighting the Paschal Candle, the Exsultet); The Service of Lessons (recalling the History of Salvation); Christian Initiation (Holy Baptism) or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows; and the first Easter Celebration of Eucharist.
(I will not be making it to this service, but go if you can!)

Sunday: Easter Sunrise Service
Christ Church, 2nd & Arch St, 5:30am
The liturgy for this will be very similar to the liturgy used for the Holy Saturday Service at the other church, but this is truly an experience. Once again, let me know if you want to come and we can arrange a carpool. Afterwards, we can go to Honey’s for breakfast.

And lastly, don’t forget liberti church: center city‘s Easter Sunday service at 9:30am at 17th & Sansom!

Let me know if any of you are interested in any of these things.

[image credit: David Schrott, for liberti church: center city]