Christ has died and Christ has risen! What a wonder we proclaim.
What a treasure we are given. What Good News we know and claim.
Jesus is our celebration; Jesus Christ, who sets us free.
Jesus is our sure salvation; now and for eternity.
Easter Proclamation, John Ferguson
Easter 2012 is April 8. Each year the date changes; it falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Easter is the culmination of the Lenten season, which lasts 40 days, and the beginning of the 50-day Pentecost season. Easter is regarded as the central day in the Christian calendar.
Covenant recognizes Holy Week, which starts on Palm Sunday and concludes with Easter, with a worship service nearly every day. “This is a time set aside for worship,” said Associate Pastor for Discipleship Tom Mitchell. “It is intense with highs and lows that begin on Palm Sunday, travels to the darkness of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and finally we celebrate Easter. Easter is much more meaningful when we experience the rhythm of the week,” Tom said.
On Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week, Covenant commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which is mentioned in all four Gospels. The people celebrating lay down their cloaks and small tree branches in front of Jesus, and sang from Psalms 118: 25-26: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord…
Noon services are offered Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (April 2-4). Congregants hear a short message and are invited to FE 200 for a light lunch.
On Maundy Thursday, Covenant members meet for communion and footwashing at 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. During this service, congregants remember Jesus’ last evening with his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion. The service marks three key events in Jesus’ last week: his washing of his disciples’ feet, his institution of the Lord’s Supper and his new commandment to love one another. Maundy Thursday, from the Latin mandatum novum, refers to the new commandment Jesus taught his disciples. GraceNotes will present choral music at this service, which begins the Triduum, the three-day period from sunset on Thursday to sunset on Easter Day.
The Good Friday Tenebrae Service at 7:30 p.m. marks the death of Jesus Christ. It is called “good” because of what Jesus’ death means for the redemption of the world. At Tenebrae, Latin for darkness, Covenant will combine several special elements: the progressive darkness of the sanctuary, music by Covenant’s Sanctuary Choir accompanied by a string quartet, and a mimed dance-drama depiction of the crucifixion performed by Covenant Youth. Practiced by the church since medieval times, the Tenebrae Service is one without the benefits of Christ’s resurrection. Historically there was no sermon, no prayer in Jesus’ name, no offering and no benediction. The service – a prolonged meditation on Christ’s suffering, is left unfinished because it is not over until Easter Day, technically making it the longest service of the Christian calendar. As the service proceeds, the room changes from light to darkness until all that remains is the Candle of Prophecy, which is not extinguished. It symbolizes the promise that Christ will rise.
On Easter Sunday, Covenant celebrates Jesus’ resurrection with six services, including a sunrise service on the patio at 6:30 a.m. Covenant rejoices Jesus’ passage through death and the fact that after three days he rose from the dead. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed!
Holy Week Worship at Covenant Presbyterian Church
Holy Monday: Worship at noon, followed by a light lunch
Holy Tuesday: Worship at noon, followed by a light lunch
Holy Wednesday: Worship at noon, followed by a light lunch
Maundy Thursday: Worship service with communion and footwashing, 7:30 p.m.
Good Friday: Tenebrae Service, 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday
Sunrise Service: Patio, 6:30 a.m.
Traditional Worship Services: Sanctuary, 8, 9:30, and 11 a.m.
Traditional Worship Service: Eaton Hall, 9:45 a.m.
Contemporary Service: FE 200, 11 a.m.