Holy Week 2014

By Fany1988 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Robb and Eric sit down over a sacrilicious cup of Skype to talk about Holy Potlucks, the goodness of Fridays and the most anticipated and dreaded week of the year.

Maundy Thursday

• Bach’s The Passion of St. Matthew - great guide from NPR  

• Foot Washing

  • The icky sacrament.

  • Peter has to allow himself to be served, and then is commanded to serve.

  • Mutuality of service, not just creating hierarchy of the one serving and the one being served.

• Last Supper

  • Song recommendation:“Come to the Feast,” by Christopher Grundy

  • Blog about “Come to the Feast” by Robb on Fat Pastor

• Garden of Gethsemane

  • Jesus faced with choice – to run, or follow God’s will.  He made the choice to stand up and follow the path that was set before him.  After this point, his path points directly to cross.

  • “Jesus went to the cross not because God the Father needed him to die.  He went to the cross because in our brokenness humanity could not let him live.”

    •  by Robb on Fat Pastor                                                                 

  • Liturgy

    • Potluck Service by Eric (with Drama from the Iona Community)

    • Living Last Supper Drama- Leonardo Davinci

    • Dramatic service of the Last Supper, by Nancy Townley

    • Maundy Thursday Liturgy, by Robb on The Fat Pastor. Includes an extended responsive reading, where congregation reads words of disciples. Ends with congregation reading Peter’s words of denial.

• Atonement

  • Great article on Hacking Christianity about Atonement by Jeremy Smith

Good Friday

• Tell the story - Don’t Gloss it over

• Crucifixion - historical

  • Cross probably not more than ten feet high

  • Jesus completely naked, exposed along a busy road

  • Feet probably not together on the bottom of the cross, but spread on each side.

  • Resource about crucifixions in history: Stuff You Missed in History Podcast

  • Leave it uncomfortable and open ended

• Crucifixion – part of life, not a historical execution

  • We experience crucifixion, pain, death, agony

• Earthquake- recalls “Jerusalem in Turmoil” from Palm Sunday

• Seven Last Words

  1. Luke 23:34:         Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.

  2. Luke 23:43:         Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.

  3. John 19:26-27:     Woman, behold your son. Behold your mother.

  4. Matthew 27:46:   My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

  5. John 19:28:          I am thirsty.

  6. Luke 23:46:         Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.

  7. John 19:30:          It is... finished.

• Jesus Barabbas or Jesus Christ.

  • Do we want Jesus, son of the father, a more human and perhaps understandable Jesus or Jesus the Christ the Messiah, the Savior - which says that we need to be saved.

  • Jesus the Messiah is not an ethical teacher, but a savior from God

• Liturgy

  • UCC Tenebrae Service of Light and Darkness

  • Adapted, shorter Tenebrae by Eric

  • A service of stones and shadows, by Erica Shemper, The Young Clergy Women Project.

  • Strip the Altar

  • Organ blast at the death

  • Tolling for the 39 lashes

  • Aga dio for Strings, Op. 11 (arr. For Organ) by Samuel Barber and William Strickland