Holy Week
With Church of the Cross
Dear ECC Friends,
For centuries, the people of God have observed with special intention the seven days before Easter. We call this time of observance Holy Week.
Holy Week is a practice of Christian formation. It is a time of embodied prayer…the palms on Palm Sunday; foot-washing on Maundy Thursday; walking the Way of the Cross on Good Friday—all are ways of acting our prayer, giving flesh to our prayer so that we might enter more fully into the mysteries of the Passion and the Resurrection.
We keep this observance for the sake of the world for which Christ came. We humbly beseech God for the trust and courage to carry our own cross. We pray that we might grow in love of God and our neighbor. We place before God in prayer our communities and neighborhoods; our households and ourselves; the forgotten, the vulnerable, and all standing in need of prayer.
The theologian NT Wright writes of the Passion of Christ that it was the “day the revolution began.” And so, we join with others throughout the world and enter again into this revolutionary movement begun on the cross; a revolution of God’s love, hope, and new creation; and the taking of our place in God’s work to bring new life to every corner of our homes, and neighborhoods, and world.
Blessings to you, friends. May this Holy Week be for each of us rich, full, and hopeful; and a time of renewal and encouragement, and nourishment.
Holy Eucharist and Foot-Washing
7:00 PM Service at Lakeway Activity Center
105 Cross Creek in Lakeway
The word “maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandate,” meaning “commandment.” On Maundy Thursday we commemorate the Last Supper. At that meal with his friends, Jesus gave two commandments: First, that when we are together we share the meal he instituted that night and “do this” in remembrance of him (I Corinthians 11:23-26). And secondly, that we love one another as he loves us (John 15:12).
The service this evening is very simple. We will share in the Lord’s Supper, and during this service, we are invited to participate in the practice of foot-washing. Worship concludes in silence, with the stripping of the altar.
Friday, April 7th — Good Friday
Morning Worship: Good Friday Liturgy
9:00 AM at the New Church Space
Located on the south side of Highway 71 at the corner of Highway 71 and Bee Creek Road
We’ll be in the space with the open door.
Please bring a chair
Evening Worship: Stations of the Cross
6:00pm at the Lower Pavilion at Lakeway Park
(Travel all the way to the end of the entrance road. We’ll be under the grove of trees.)
On Good Friday, Jesus went to the cross. On this day we do not celebrate Holy Communion. Instead, we gather for prayers and pray deeply for the world, and hear the Passion as told in the Gospel According to John.
In the evening we gather at Lakeway Park and follow an ancient practice called “The Stations of the Cross.” The Stations of the Cross…sometimes called the Way of the Cross…began as a practice in the Holy Land, where pilgrims in Jerusalem retraced Jesus’ journey to the cross. These pilgrims then took this practice home with them, and soon people kept the pilgrimage of the Stations on their own hometowns. And now, we pilgrims make this journey at Lakeway Park.
Saturday, April 8th — Holy Saturday
6:00 PM Evening Prayer
At the home of Bernadette and Paul Johnson
17706 Linkview Drive, in the Montabella Development off Hamilton Pool Road, about a mile east of the Hamilton Pool/Route 12 intersection.
Holy Saturday is the great in-between time; the time between Christ’s crucifixion and his resurrection. We will, for a short while, keep vigil that evening, hearing the scriptures and being in prayer. During this prayer time, we will pray by name for every person part of Church of the Cross.
Sunday, April 9th — Easter Day
9:30 AM Worship at Bee Cave Elementary School
Weather permitting, we will be outside on the basketball court under the tarp.
Please bring a treat to share after worship!
Please bring a bell to ring as we celebrate Resurrection
Easter Egg Hunt after worship!
And please invite a friend!
In the case of inclement weather, we’ll be in the cafeteria.