The Sacred Triduum
Dear Trinity,
The high point of the Church’s liturgical year is the Sacred Triduum—the three holy days stretching from the evening of Holy Thursday to the morning of Easter Sunday. These days stand at the heart of our worship and are the most sacred of the entire year.
Here is what you can expect over these three days.
Maundy Thursday - “This is my body, given for you.”
Thursday, April 2 at 6:30pm
We will gather to commemorate the institution of the Lord's Supper, hear Jesus' mandate ("maundy") to love one another, have an optional time for families and friends to wash each others feet, and a time of prayer. You are invited to wear shoes/you can take off easily.
Even as we rejoice in the gift of the Lord’s Supper, this service ends in solemn stillness. The altar is stripped, and we depart in silence. No blessing is spoken, for the liturgy has not ended—it continues as one great act of worship across three days, finding its completion in the celebration of the Resurrection.
Good Friday (Tenebrae) - “It is finished.”
Friday, April 3 at 6:30pm
Good Friday marks the day which Jesus was crucified, making atonement for the sins of the world. In this memorable and solemn service we will reflect on the seven last words of Christ as he hung on the cross. The service is marked by Scripture, short meditations, song, and increasing darkness. It concludes in darkness and our departure in silence meditating on our Lord's death and burial.
The Great Easter Vigil -“The Light of Christ”
Saturday, April 4 at 8:30pm
A nighttime service that moves from darkness to light, tracing God’s saving work through Scripture and culminating in celebration of Christ’s resurrection.
More about this service: This year I'm excited to add the Great Easter Vigil service to our Holy Week observances. It is a beautiful service marked by the blessing of the new Paschal Candle outside by a bonfire, a selection of OT readings (traditionally 12 but we'll do half that), service of holy baptism/renewal of vows, and Holy Communion. Given this is our first year, we will celebrate our baptisms for the morning service, as well as Holy Communion. Service starts at 8:30 (in the dark) and will run 75-85 minutes (which is much shorter than the traditional 3 hours!). There will be no child care. I fully reconize this is a late service for our young families so encourage you to not feel a burden to join for it, and if you do, bring your older children or just opt to have one spouse attend. More on it's history.
See the service Bulletin.
Easter Morning - “He is not here; he is risen!”
Sunday, April 5 at 9:45 / 10:30am
We gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and his conquering of sin, death, and the devil.
Everyone is invited to bring a breakfast treat to share at 9:45am.
Everyone is invited to bring white lilies from HEB to decorate the sanctuary.
Bring any bells or noise makers from home as we celebration of Christ's resurrection at the beginning of the service during the Easter acclimation!
Children are invited to bring their easter baskets for the easter egg hunt after.
How to Enter These Holy Days
These three days are not just services we attend—they are a single act of worship we are invited to enter with our whole lives. If this is new for you, here are a few simple ways to participate more fully:
1. Be present for the journey
Each service builds on the last. Come to as many as you are able, and experience the movement from the table, to the cross, to the empty tomb. Consider clearing your calendar as much as possible to give yourself the emotional space to enter this sacred three days.
2. Carry the silence with you
On Thursday and Friday, we leave in silence. Try to keep that spirit as you go home—limit distractions, turn off music or media, and let the weight of these moments stay with you.
3. Read the story at home
Thursday: John 13–17
Friday: John 18–19
Saturday: Sit in the stillness, or read Psalm 22
4. Simplify and slow down
Consider fasting on Friday (or a meal or two) or setting aside extra time for prayer. These days are an invitation to step out of the noise and draw near to Christ.
5. Don’t rush to Easter
Let Good Friday feel heavy. Let Holy Saturday feel quiet. The joy of Easter will be all the greater when we have walked the whole way with Jesus.
In Christ,
Pr. Matthew+
Take a few moments to review the Holy Week page.
The Spiritual Pilgrimage of Lent
Your invitation to The Spiritual Pilgrimage of Lent
What is Lent?
Lent is a season of the historic church year passed down from the earliest days of the church and observed from Ash Wednesday to Easter. It is 40 days in length not counting Sundays which are considered min-Easter celebrations. Because Lent lasts for 40 days it recalls Christ’s fasting during his temptation/testing in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Lent is a penitential season that is marked by the stripping away of those things which compete for our allegiance to Jesus.
Like a pilgrimage where one encounters places they don’t normally tread, so Lent takes us on a spiritual pilgrimage through our own wilderness right up to the foot of the cross on Good Friday and into the glorious empty garden tomb of Easter morning. By saying yes to Lent you say yes to an unexpected, challenging, and rewarding pilgrimage in which you come to know yourself and Christ’s love for you more deeply.
why should I consider entering into the spiritual pilgrimage of Lent?
It should be noted that there is no biblical mandate to observe Lent, nor does observing it earn us "browny points" with God. In Christ we are fully accepted and forgiven and nothing we do can cause God to love us more - Praise God! So why practice Lent? Lent is a physical and spiritual rhythm that helps us be conformed to the image of Christ. How so?
1) Observing Lent reminds us of our deep need for a Savior.
2) Observing Lent reminds us of the frailty and shortness of life and helps us reprioritize our lives (loves, desires, thoughts, actions, etc)
3) Lent prepares are heart for the celebration of Easter. If you want to grow in Christlikeness and experience spiritual renewal, Lent is for you.
How can I observe Lent this year?
There is no rule or law that you must follow to observe Lent, however, there are some time tested biblical practices we can learn from.
1) Gather with other believers in observing this Holy Season.
Join us at Trinity (or any congregation that follows the historic church calendar) for the special services and activities of the season. At Trinity we will be focusing on the theme of Lent on Sundays, as well as special mid-week events such at an Ash Wednesday Service, Vespers service, Stations of the Cross, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. We also will be coming together for mercy ministry projects throughout the season.
What the Super Bowl is to NFL fans, the final three days of Lent (“Paschal Triduum”) are to Christians. It is THE central three days that shook the universe. What happened in these three days that is so important? It marks the time that the God-Man willingly laid down His life for the sins of the world and not only paid the price for those sins but also conquered death by rising again! We mark these days with one service over three days that begins on Maundy Thursday where we remember where Christ instituted Holy Communion the the Church, continues into Good Friday where we remember Christ’s once and for all sacrifice for the sins of the world, and Holy Saturday where we celebrate the Easter Vigil/the conquering of death through resurrection. Let me invite, invest yourself fully in these three days. There is no more important activity than taking a few hours over these three days to reflect and meditate upon the Lord Jesus’ salvific work on your behalf. I strongly encourage you to make this a priority for you and your family.
2) The three historic practices:
Pick-up one of our Lenten guides on Sunday which will help guide you through the following three spiritual disciplines during the season. Here is also a helpful family Lenten guide.
Fasting - Fasting is the practice of giving up something perfectly good for the purpose of feeling it's lack in our lives. Fasting is never easy but always a huge spiritual blessing. Fasting can come in many forms but the type most mentioned in Scripture is fasting from food in order to dedicate ourselves to a season of prayer and repentance. Consider fasting from a single type of food (sweets, coke, alcohol, etc), a single meal every week, or maybe even a whole day every week (Friday's are traditional to remind us of Christ's betrayal on that day). It's common to fast (or partial fast) during holy week on Maundy- Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Other types of fasting include technology, tv, sports, music, etc. Pretty much anything can be fasted from. If this is your first time to observe Lent I encourage you to start easy and keep it simple.
Prayer - Prayer is pouring our heart out before God and listening to Him speak to us through His Word. Let's be honest, prayer is hard. It requires discipline to set the time aside and to not just pray for ourselves. Lent is a season we put a special focus on prayer in confessing our sins, asking God to change our hearts, praying for others, and the needs in the world. I encourage you to commit to finding a silent place to pray for 5-10 minutes every day. Set a timer and pray.
Almsgiving/Generosity - During this season we also place a special focus on those in need. We recognize there are many forms of need - emotional, spiritual, physical, etc). I would encourage you and your family to identify a need in our area - it could be a family, individual, ministry, etc - that you can give a special financial gift to. Who do you rub shoulders with that you know has need right now? It might be a few people or just one. Ask the Lord to place someone in your path and on your heart. Discuss it and prayer about it as a family.
Is Lent supposed to be hard?
Yep. In the same way that Christ fasted and was tempted in the wilderness before his ministry, so we too enter into a difficult season of self-denial. Self-denial pulls back the layers on what makes us tick, where we find comfort, how we respond to hardship, and forces us to rest in Jesus. It doesn't always feel spiritual but it will produce spiritual fruit as we ask the Spirit to work in our hearts and minds. God uses difficult season to purify us, Lent is such a season. Think of it like Marine bootcamp. Bootcamp is not an indefinite season but rather a short season to refine, equip, and purify the recruits.
An Invitation
The season of Lent is a gracious invitation offered to you. On Ash Wednesday our church hears the following invitation into this holy season:
Dear brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, on this day the Church begins a holy season of prayerful and penitential reflection. Our attention is especially directed to the holy sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
From ancient times the season of Lent has been kept as a time of special devotion, self-denial, and humble repentance born of a faithful heart that dwells confidently on His Word and draws from it life and hope.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent: by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and alms-giving; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.
Let us pray that our dear Father in heaven, for the sake of His beloved Son and in the power of His Holy Spirit, might richly bless this Lententide for us so that we may come to Easter with glad hearts and keep the feast in sincerity and truth.