
Christ the King Episcopal Church
Lakeland, Florida
HOLY WEEK
From early times Christians have observed the week before Easter as a time of special devotion.
Holy Week
Holy Week is a week-long series of services that honor the events of Jesus' last days - his final supper with the disciples, his passion, the way of the cross, and the crucifixion, all culminating in the resurrection. This is the Paschal Mystery by which, through God in Jesus, death has been destroyed and creation set free. Holy Week is the most sacred time of the Christian year.
The season is marked by special services and liturgies, beginning with Palm Sunday and concluding with the Great Vigil & the Feast of the Resurrection.
Palm Sunday-Sunday of the Passion
The liturgy first recalls Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem and then turn towards the recollection of the Passion and Crucifixion with the recitation of the Passion narrative.
Monday-Wednesday of Holy Week
These liturgies bear account of lamentation and mercy by giving voice to the pain and sorrow of our own lives and making room for Christ to enter.
Maundy Thursday
This liturgy recollects and enacts the events of the Last Supper. So, first of all, the liturgy allows us to follow Jesus' command ("Maundy" comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning "commandment") to share his body and blood - to break bread and share the cup of wine - in remembrance of him. And second, the liturgy makes space for us to symbolically washing our neighbor's feet - "to do as I [Jesus] have done to you".
Good Friday
The liturgy honors Christ's crucifixion, his courage to live the truth of his love for us even to death. Again, the Passion narrative is proclaimed, prayers are offered, and veneration is made to the holy and life-giving cross.
The Great Vigil
The church gathering before sunrise, this liturgy proclaims the story of God redeeming love from the Hebrew Scriptures. At an appointed time (usually around sunrise), the Resurrection is proclaimed and the church rejoices in the first Eucharist of Easter. More than any other liturgy, this one truly enters into the mystery of the sacred with ample use of fire, candles, incense, chant, story, and water. It is the traditional day for the baptism of adults.
The Feast of the Resurrection
Easter Day is the first liturgy of the fifty day Season of Easter - the annual season celebrating Christ's victory over death and our participation in the mystery of resurrection.
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE
Palm Sunday - Sunday of the Passion
April 13 * 10 am
Monday-Tuesday of Holy Week: Stations of the Cross
April 14-15 * 7 pm
Wednesday of Holy Week: Life Transformed-The Way of Love in Lent
April 16 * 6 pm
Maundy Thursday: Celebration of the Lord's Supper
April 17 * 7 pm
Good Friday: Reading of the Passion with Veneration of the Cross
April 18 * 12 noon & 7 pm
Holy Saturday: Noonday Prayer
April 19 * 12 noon
Great Vigil of Easter
April 19 * 8 pm
Easter Day: Feast of the Resurrection
April 20 * 10 am