Our observance of the Great Three Days (Triduum) of Easter began with the Maundy Thursday Liturgy. Members gathered to hear again the story of the Last Supper, when Jesus met with his disciples in the Upper Room before being handed over to suffer and die for us.

The Gospel of John recounts how after supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and gave them a new commandment (Latin, mandatum, from which we get the word “Maundy”): ”Love one another.” In response, members of the congregation washed each other’s feet in the Maundy ritual.

The Maundy was followed by Holy Communion, in remembrance that Jesus instituted the sacrament in the Last Supper.

The liturgy concluded with the stripping of the altar, as Jesus was stripped before being crucified.

The Triduum continues with the Good Friday Liturgy and Easter Vigil on Saturday, both at 7:30 pm.

Our observance of Holy Week began with the Palm Sunday liturgy on March 29. Worshipers gathered in the courtyard to listen to the Palm Sunday Gospel, followed by the blessing and distribution of palms and procession around the church.

Once the congregation was inside the Nave, the focus turned to the dramatic reading of the Passion Gospel according to Mark.

Holy Week observances culminate with the Great Three Days, or Tiduum, at 7:30 pm on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Easter Sunday morning we will have festive celebration at both morning worship services, with a potluck brunch and Easter egg hunt at 9:15 am.

The last part of the Great Three Days began with the congregation gathered in the Hörmann Courtyard for the kindling of the new fire and the lighting of the Pascal Candle.

Once inside the Nave, members of the congregation lit their candles the flame passed from the Pascal Candle and listened to the Exsultet

The service continued with the retelling of salvation history through lessons from the Hebrew Scriptures, the renewal of baptismal vows, the joyous Easter proclamation, and holy communion.

Following worship, the congregation returned to the Courtyard to break their Lenten fast with a sweet feast of champagne, strawberries, and cooked.

The Holy Week and Easter slideshow below includes addition photos from Easter Vigil (beginning with the 26th slide), the rest of Holy Week, and Easter.

Pastor Jeff Lilley marks the foreheads of members of the congregation with ashes during the Ash Wednesday Liturgy.

LCH began the observance of Lent on March 5 with the traditional Ash Wednesday Liturgy with imposition of ashes.

Throughout the Lent, members and friends will gather on Wednesday evenings for Dinner Church at 6:30 pm. Basically, Dinner Church is both a meal with worship and a feasting with the Divine Love found in fellowship within community. The concept isn’t something totally new. In fact, it is thousands of years old. The experience is very different in our world today, of course, but it is modeled after what the earliest disciples might have experienced when they shared a meal with Jesus in the Upper Room.

As our congregations prepares for our Easter joy in the resurrection, all are invited to come together at the table, to be fed and nourished in body and soul, and to feast together as a faith community. We will break bread together, share in a meal, hear the Word, sing the Word, and bless the wine. The liturgy used during Dinner Church will incorporate the music and prayerful song from Haugen’s Holden Evening Prayer.