The Holy Days of Lent
Here is a description of the Holy Days of Lent.
Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras: This is the day prior to the season of Lent. It is often a time of celebration. In many churches, folks celebrate with a pancake supper on that Tuesday night. Traditionally, eating pancakes was a way to clear out the pantries of foods that would be abstained from in Lent, including eggs, sugar, fat, and flour.
Ash Wednesday: This is the first day of Lent. It is also probably the most solemn day of the season. We are confronted with our unregenerate nature and with death. We are confronted with the reality that we will all die and that we are in fact, powerless to prevent it. Our reflection on death is meant to set into motion a reconsideration of the meaning of life and death apart from Christ and also in Christ. This is a fairly counter-cultural service since our culture upholds youth and often tries to ignore the realities of dying. Ashes, the sign of death, sorrow, and mourning, are put on the forehead . Yet, these ashes are put on in the sign of the cross, which alters the starkness of the message. Yes, we will all die, but we Christians will die in Christ, which absolutely transforms our deaths. We can walk through the shadow of death without fear because we know we will find ourselves at the great resurrection feast of the Lamb of God.
Palm/Passion Sunday: On Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem when folks cried out their Hosanna as they greeted their king with joy. We, however, know that this joyous welcome quickly turned into rejection, and that before too many days had passed, Jesus would be killed. It is important when we recall this day in the life of Jesus that we also see ourselves in the story. Here, we see that the folks were so fickle – praising Jesus one day and then demanding his death on another. If we are truthful with ourselves, we see that our relationship with Christ can also be so fickle.
Holy Week/Triduum
The service on Thursday night is best thought of as a single worship event that is completed by the announcement of the resurrection and the celebration of Easter.
Holy Thursday – It is typical on Holy Thursday to have a service or to share a Passover or “Seder” meal together on the evening.
The Service - The service on Thursday night is a solemn service, drawing our attention to the fact that Good Friday, the day we will remember the denial, desertion, and crucifixion of our Lord, is almost upon us. At the end of the service, the altar is stripped, which conveys the humiliation that Jesus experienced as his clothes were taken from Him, He was beaten, and He was forced to carry His cross to Golgotha.
A very typical feature of this service is the washing of feet. Even though the cultural relevance of this action no longer exists, it is still a very powerful act. In the time of Jesus, people’s feet would have been extremely dirty from their travels along the dusty roads of Israel, and thus when they arrived at a dinner party, a servant would wash their feet. It wouldn’t have been a pleasant task, but it would have been a gracious one done on behalf of the guests.
You will recall though, that at the “Last Supper”, it was not a servant who washed the disciples feet, but Jesus Himself. On that night, Jesus set an example of humble service for His disciples and for all who would follow Him. Thus, when we wash other people’s feet during Holy Thursday (which can be a somewhat awkward, humbling, and even embarrassing act for both parties involved), we remember Jesus’ humble action and also commit ourselves to such humble servanthood.
The Meal - While Biblical scholars disagree as to whether the meal shared on the night before Jesus’ crucifixion was the Passover meal, it is common for people to celebrate a Seder or Passover meal on Holy Thursday. (And it is certain that at some point right before his death, Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples.) This is done in many different ways, but it has become quite common for Christians to celebrate a “Messianic” Seder dinner. This dinner incorporates some of the typical elements of a Jewish Passover (which commemorates God’s rescue of the Israelites from Egypt) with “messianic” elements that point to Jesus and link the Exodus to Christ’s salvation of the world.
Good Friday
Good Friday is the day we remember Jesus’ crucifixion. Why then is it “good”? While it is a most somber day for sure, it is good because we know Easter Sunday is around the corner. We know that God was in control on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. As Lawrence Stookey says, “The crucifixion of Jesus was not some bad deal that God had to try to make the best of; it was a working out of divine intention with a view to the salvation of an otherwise doomed creation.”
So while it is “good” in that sense, nevertheless, we are to enter into the sorrow and horror of the crucifixion on Good Friday.
Because we have sometimes so domesticated the symbol of the cross, we may forget that the cross was an instrument of execution for the most heinous of crimes. A person nailed to the cross would die very slowly and would ultimately succumb to asphyxiation (death caused by the interruption of breathing and thus of normal oxygen intake). It was an excruciating way to die, yet our Lord Jesus Christ intentionally allowed himself to be killed this way. And not only that, as He died in this naturally painful way, He also carried the heavy, heavy burden of all the world’s sin on his shoulders. It is important for us to remember this because our salvation came at a huge price. It was extremely costly. Thus, we are not to treat God’s grace in a flippant or cheap way. When we recognize our sin, we are to remember that it is that sin which led Jesus to the cross. We should then confess our sin and work to change our ways.
Because of the somberness of the occasion, there are no flowers, no lighted candles, and no pretty vestments on Good Friday. The cross has been taken down or covered by black. The clergy wear black stoles. The altar table is covered by black.
Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil
Some churches hold an Easter Vigil. This service begins at dusk on Saturday at the earliest but is most effective when it commences before daybreak on Sunday – thus the congregation enters the church in darkness and leaves in full daylight.
By design, the Easter Vigil recapitulates the themes of Lent. It generally has 4 components: 1) Service of Light, 2) Service of the Word, 3) Baptism and Reaffirmation, and 4) Eucharist.
The service begins in virtual darkness. As the service begins, a fire is kindled in token of “Christ the Sun of Justice” rising from the dead. From the fire, the great Pascal Candle is lit – this is the largest candle ever used in the church and commemorates the pillar of fire in the wilderness. From this great candle, individual candles are lit which are then carried in procession.
A series of readings occur, including the account of creation, the deluge, Abraham’s offering of Isaac, Israel’s deliverance at the sea, God’s renewal of Israel, the divine offer of salvation to all, the promise of the covenant within our hearts, Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones, and the restoration of Israel after the Exile. Then after this, the new creation in Christ is joyfully announced in the New Testament and Gospel readings. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, defeating death, evil, and sin forever! Alleluia! Until the reading of the Gospel, the church is only partially lit, but once the priest starts reading the Gospel, the church becomes fully illuminated. If it hasn’t already been done, it is appropriate for the congregation to bring out the flowers and beautiful altar clothes, etc. at this time.
It is highly desirable that baptisms occur at this point. This was the primary occasion for baptisms in the early church.
Then the service concludes with the most joyful Eucharist of the liturgical year. After the arduous journey through the forty days of Lent, the Great Fifty Days of Easter has begun! Alleluia! The Lord is Risen Indeed!