Holy Week at St. Matt's Palm Sunday - Passion Scenes March 28 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. (no 7:30 a.m. worship) Flyer to download, print & share [here] Maundy Thursday - April 1 10:30 a.m. - Holy Communion 7:15 p.m. - Holy Communion with Healing Service Good Friday - April 2 9:00 a.m. - Children's Service 3:00 p.m. - Reformation neighborhood walk 7:15 p.m. - Tenebrae Service Holy Saturday - April 3 7:00 p.m. - Vigil of Easter Service of Light, Service of the Word, and Service of Baptism Easter Sunday schedule [here]

 

Easter Sunday schedule [here]

Lenten schedule to download or print [here]

Additional Lenten Resources [here]

 

What will we see on Palm Sunday?

Palm/Passion Sunday, the first Sunday of Holy Week, is the celebration of the Passion of Christ. The Passion is the retelling of the story of that servant of whom Isaiah spoke, that obedient one of whom Paul spoke, abandoned on the cross, dying for the sins of the people. We will be celebrating the Passion with a procession of palm branches and shouts of “Hosannas,” for the new Messiah. The procession with palms provides for an appropriate outburst of joy, which does not lose sight of the solemn goal of Jesus’ triumphal entry. The actual procession with palms is as old as the 4th century and appears to have originated in Jerusalem. Symbolically the Church becomes Jerusalem for the time of the service, and just as the crowds met Jesus outside Jerusalem and accompanied Him into the city, we accompany Jesus into the church.

But the story does not stop here. With music and drama this year we will once again see portrayed for us; the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane betrayed by Judas, and Jesus’ trial in front of Pilate. In the final scene of our Passion story Jesus comes forward to be crowned with thorns and draped with the scarlet cloak, finally being led away to Calvary.

During this Passion special music and movement will help portray the conflict of joy and sorrow that is Passion Sunday. The day begins with shouts of joy; but ends in silence – the Lord’s passion has begun. The somberness of the Passion, which is the focus of Holy Week, is thus framed by the joy of Easter, which is its purpose and culmination.

Plan to make Passion Sunday part of your Holy Week. The Passion Scenes will be presented at the 8:30 and 11:00 services on March 28. There will be no 7:30 service.

A flyer about the Passion Scenes is [here].

Thank you to the Passion Scenes participants [list here].

 

Sunday of the Passion - Palm Sunday - March 28

Passion Scenes - 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. (no 7:30 a.m. worship)

• Luke 19:28-40 Procession with Palms
• Isaiah 50:4-9a
• Psalm 31:9-16
• Philippians 2:5-11
• Luke 22:14–23:56 or Luke 21:1-49
  

Prayer of the Day
Everlasting God, in your endless love for the human race you sent our Lord Jesus Christ to take on our nature and to suffer death on the cross. In your mercy enable us to share in his obedience to your will and in the glorious victory of his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
or
Sovereign God, you have established your rule in the human heart through the servanthood of Jesus Christ. By your Spirit, keep us in the joyful procession of those who with their tongues confess Jesus as Lord and with their lives praise him as Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
or
O God of mercy and might, in the mystery of the passion of your Son you offer your infinite life to the world. Gather us around the cross of Christ, and preserve us until the resurrection, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

 

Maundy Thursday - April 1: “Jesus Is Love” (John 13:1-35)

10:30 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. - Holy Communion
A service with confession, forgiveness and Holy Communion
and removal of items from the altar and chancel.
Healing Service during the 7:15 service.
(Nursery available at 7:15pm.)

• Exodus 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14
• Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
• 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
• John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Prayer of the Day
Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal, Jesus gave us a new commandment, to love one another as he loves us. Write this commandment in our hearts, and give us the will to serve others as he was the servant of all, your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
   or
Eternal God, in the sharing of a meal your Son established a new covenant for all people, and in the washing of feet he showed us the dignity of service. Grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit these signs of our life in faith may speak again to our hearts, feed our spirits, and refresh our bodies, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Reformation Lutheran Church Good Friday neighborhood walk

You are invited to Reformation Lutheran Church on Good Friday to be a part of our Neighborhood Walk. The Neighborhood Walk is a visible sign of hope in the neigh­borhood surrounding the church. As we walk, we stop to pray at places we see despair – a drug house, a place where someone lost their life due to violence. We praise God at signs of hope – a place beautified by our Youth Work Program, new businesses on North Avenue or at a drug house that has been closed because the church took action against it. As we walk, we become a sign of hope for the community!

A Good Friday Worship Service at Reformation (2201 N. 35th Street, Milwaukee) begins at 1:30 p.m. with the walk beginning at 3:00 p.m. It has been a long tradition for us at St. Matthew’s to do the Neighborhood Walk, a sign of solidarity with our city partners, Reformation Lutheran Church and its people.

 

Good Friday - April 2: “Jesus Is Hope” (John 19:17-30)

9:00 a.m. - Children's Service and program
We will gather for breakfast and for a project as well as a worship service all centered on Good Friday. Children up through sixth grade along with parents and friends are encouraged to attend. There is a small charge for breakfast.

3:00 p.m. Reformation Neighborhood Walk
Join with the people of Reformation Lutheran Church (2201 N. 35th St.).The worship service begins at 1:30 p.m. and the walk is held from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Children and youth are welcome. See details above [here]

7:15 a.m. - Worship with special music & reflection
A Tenebrae Service with the gradual darkening of the sanctuary, dramatizing the fading light of Christ in the World. This will be a very spiritual service on a very dramatic night.

• Isaiah 52:13—53:12
• Psalm 22
• Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
• John 18:1—19:42
  

Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, look with loving mercy on your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, to be given over to the hands of sinners, and to suffer death on the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
or
Merciful God, your Son was lifted up on the cross to draw all people to himself. Grant that we who have been born out of his wounded side may at all times find mercy in him, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

 

Vigil of Easter - April 3

7:00 p.m. - Service for the Vigil of Easter - “Darkness into Light”
Tracing the biblical and liturgical roots of the Easter celebration, St. Matthew’s offers a prayerful and uplifting service on this night before the Resurrection. The Vigil Service consists of three parts: a Service of Light, a Service of the Word and a Service of Baptism.

• Romans 6:3-11
• John 20:1-18

Prayer of the Day
Eternal giver of life and light, this holy night shines with the radiance of the risen Christ. Renew your church with the Spirit given us in baptism, that we may worship you in sincerity and truth and may shine as a light in the world, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
or
O God, you are the creator of the world, the liberator of your people, and the wisdom of the earth. By the resurrection of your Son free us from our fears, restore us in your image, and ignite us with your light, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Within The Wounds Somewhere within the wounds There is a language deeper than words Deeper than wells Deeper than woods. Somewhere within the wounds There is the fragrance Of love, of gift, A heart of sacredness An altar of the lamb. Somewhere within the wounds Is where Christ is And where I, In my unworthiness, Am. Somewhere within the wounds Petals unfurl As the flower of His sacred passion Is loosed onto the world.   Holy Week at St. Matt's Palm Sunday - Passion Scenes - March 28 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. (no 7:30 a.m. worship) Maundy Thursday - April 1 10:30 a.m. - Holy Communion 7:15 p.m. - Holy Communion with Healing Service Good Friday - April 2 9:00 a.m. - Children's Service 3:00 p.m. - Reformation neighborhood walk 7:15 p.m. - Tenebrae Service Holy Saturday - April 3 7:00 p.m. - Vigil of Easter Service of Light, Service of the Word, and Service of Baptism Easter Sunday schedule [here]

 

Easter Sunday schedule [here]

More Lent information [here]

Information about Lenten Wednesdays [here]

Lenten schedule to download or print [here]

Book of Faith Lenten study [here]

Additional Lenten Resources [here]

© 2010 St. Matthew's Ev. Lutheran Church 1615 Wauwatosa Ave., Wauwatosa, WI 53213 Phone: (414) 774-0441     Fax: (414) 774-0989 Email: office@stmattslutheran.org	Designed by St. Matthew's Communications Committee based on a design by Andreas Viklund JavaScript slideshow by BarelyFitz Designs DHTML scripts by Dynamic Drive