Holy Week

 

Yesterday I gave you a sneak peek at the variety my week held, but today I thought I’d tell you a little bit more about the things that comprised my days during Holy Week.

                The role I have at our church was previously part time, and when the pastor who held the job retired at the end of last year, the job description was expanded to be full time and encompass more duties. But the part of my job that was his included home visits and hospital visits, and he told me that he had historically gone around to visit the home bound during Holy Week. He said he took communion to them since they weren’t able to get to the church for communion there.

                So I put together my little “traveling communion” bag and spent three days of the week driving around to different homes and healthcare facilities, meeting with the home bound. I made little gifts for all of them: just simple frames with notes to remind them that their church remembered and cared for them, and I also made little communion cards that had some of the words we said as we took communion. I packed the homemade unleavened bread the deacons made and took my trusty bottle of grape juice and cups.

                Some of the people I visited don’t know me (because they have been at home since I’ve been part of the church) and aren’t able to really understand and remember new people, but even so, they were kind and we had good visits. Others were excited to sit and talk for a while, and I felt like I made new friends along the way!

                Thursday was Love Feast day. The deacons in our church oversee this dinner that includes communion and foot washing, and last year, since I was a deacon, I was able to help with it from that perspective. In my new role, I work with the deacon team, so I jumped in to help them!

                I spent all of Thursday afternoon setting up tables and chairs and working to arrange seating so people who were new could be with those who had attended before and could walk them through it.

                Then I helped set the tables and answer questions from the newer deacons on our team, and it was during that part of the night that I wanted to sit down and cry, because I just love what I do. It had been a long week, my feet hurt, and I was tired, but there wasn’t anywhere else I would rather have been right in that moment.

                Sweet Ryan brought one of the older ladies from our church (who doesn’t drive anymore) to Love Feast and then took her home when it was over, so he didn’t get a chance to help with some of the heavy lifting of the night, but it meant so much to me that he was willing to play taxi!

                Love Feast also includes some short devotional thoughts, and I was invited to share one before we ate and then pray over the meal. I wrote some thoughts about how Jesus used mealtime to create community and shared at the start of the evening.

                Love Feast has become very meaningful to me, and I was so thankful to be part of making it happen for those in attendance!

                Good Friday brought about two services for me. Our church hosted the community Good Friday service (which is held at a different church each year), so I went early to set up the communion table.

                I read a Scripture passage (along with several other community pastors) and then helped serve communion at the conclusion of the service.

                I loved this service. The music and Scripture shared were so meaningful, and I was honored to be part of it.

                (Ryan didn’t get to attend the community service because he was at work.)

                That evening, our church held its own Good Friday service, and Ryan did get to attend this one with me. We reset the communion table and then served as Scripture readers throughout the service. Even though this was a different service than the one I’d been to in the afternoon, it was no less impactful!

                I’ll tell you more about Easter Sunday in a couple of days, but I sure did love the events of Holy Week and felt my heart was stirred in new ways because I was able to be part of so many services!