Holy Week @ SSPC
Holy Week is not canceled. Indeed, there is much happening in our church and in our community this week as we head towards the events of the upper room, the cross, and the empty tomb. And so even though we cannot be together in person at church, the pastors and staff want to be sure you know about the rich offerings we will be sharing with you as we complete our Lenten "Journey to Jerusalem" together.
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Maundy Thursday
Worship and Communion at Home April 9, 2020 Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. “Maundy” means commandment, referencing the new commandment Jesus gave his disciples on this day; for it was on this day that Jesus had his last meal with his disciples. Jesus broke bread, washed the disciples’ feet, and hinted at his coming crucifixion and betrayal. At the time, the disciples did not realize the significance of this moment, but now we recognize how powerful and special this last supper was. As a result, it is our Christian tradition to celebrate this evening with the gift of worship and the sacrament of Communion, just as the disciples did on that night. We invite you to join in the sacrament of Communion this Maundy Thursday using the worship video and communion liturgy provided here. Consider setting aside time in advance of your worship to prepare for communion by baking your own bread OR choosing something from your pantry that can be bread. God will show up with whatever element you choose and have on hand. |
Click Here To View and Download Maundy Thursday Liturgy
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Good Friday
A Reflection By Kate Buckley April 10, 2020 This is a dark day for us. Many of us have lost jobs and suffered hits to our income. Some are learning how to homeschool children. People with compromised immune systems or of a certain age bracket are fearing for their lives. Medical professionals are watching the worst of it – watching many struggle to breathe. And we are all lonely in our isolation from one another. Did we tell those we love how much we care for them? Can we still the anxiety that threatens to close our throats and occupy our waking moments? Unprecedented times. The world has known dark days before. There was once a horrific scene of an innocent named Jesus lead to a hill called Golgatha. What earned Jesus such enemies? Who did he touch that garnered him so much hatred from us? What did he preach and who did he heal that posed such a threat to our equilibrium? A barefoot wanderer who saw the nameless and spoke to the voiceless… Good Friday has always been the day that cuts through to the heart of the gospel for me. Easter is crucial, the capstone of our faith, the proclamation of hope beyond the now. But Good Friday shows the world what our God is willing to do: Betrayal by Judas, one of his own. Denied by Peter. Three times. Arrested by Roman authorities. Picked by the crowds over Barabbas—to die. Flogged, stripped, dressed in a robe and mocked. Adorned with a crown of thorns. Crucified between criminals. Hung as a spectacle while the world went dark. Wrapped in ceremonial linens and buried in a tomb. Waited in the heart of the earth while guards secured the cave. It’s ok to sit in the darkness. To feel the shaking of the earth. To feel the magnitude of the entire globe, hanging in such delicate balance, watching and waiting for a new day. Christ himself uttered prayers with haggard and labored breaths from his place on the cross. He died with arms outstretched to a world who didn’t know how to love. Jesus knows about loneliness, fear, pain, grief, shallow breaths, and dark days. I want to give you permission today to sit in Good Friday. It isn’t Easter yet. There is a period of waiting, of marinating, of pausing in stillness and cold doubt and fear. Sit in Good Friday today. There is no place too lonely, no sin too great, no thought too shameful, no pain too severe, no anxiety too overwhelming that God has not been there with us in Jesus. Feel the power of being powerless. Feel the strength of weakness. Feel the radiance of vulnerability. It’s ok to sit in the dark. Jesus is familiar with the dark, too. In Christ, Kate Buckley Parish Associate for Visitation and Congregational Care, St. Simons Presbyterian Church |
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Easter Sunday
Devotional, Music, Liturgy, and Children's Chapel April 12, 2020 Celebrate the joy of Easter morning with your church family and friends as we worship together around a common liturgy and theme. The Easter video devotional and many other resources for this special day will be shared via email and available online by 8A on Easter morning. Click here to view the video devotional, liturgy, and children's chapel. |
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