Every Sunday is like a “little Easter” as we joyfully celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Holy Week services are a special journey, starting with Palm/Passion Sunday and reaching the Easter morning festivities. Together, we walk alongside Christ from death to life.
We kick off Palm/Passion Sunday with a grand welcome for Jesus, the triumphant king, only to learn about the challenges ahead. All worshippers can join the palm procession for the 8:15 AM service. Please gather in the Commons no later than 8:00 AM if you plan to join the procession. Our little ones will lead the palm procession at the 10:45 AM service (parents and children meet in the Commons at 10:30 AM) with the rest of the congregation meeting in the Sanctuary. The congregation will engage in a moving reading of Mark’s passion narrative, leading us to Good Friday.
Maundy Thursday services are at noon (with livestream) and 6:30 PM. This night recalls for us Jesus’ final night on earth before the crucifixion and his giving of a new commandment (from John 13): “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.” This day also marks the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples and Christ’s giving of Holy Communion for all Christians. The services conclude with the solemn stripping of the altar.
Good Friday services are also at noon (with livestream) and 6:30 PM. At the noon Family Good Friday service, we will experience and understand the significance of Jesus’ final hours with age-appropriate language and an interactive worship experience geared toward young children. At the 6:30 PM Good Friday Service of Stones and Shadows, we will listen to Jesus’ words from the cross as recorded in the gospels. We’ll spend time in prayer, silence and song as we contemplate Jesus’ sacrifice and death, which reveal the depth of God’s love for us. This service mirrors the shadows our Lord faced. Candles are extinguished during the readings, recognizing the cross as the world’s redemption symbol.
Join us for this year’s Saturday Vigil of Easter service at First Lutheran at 7:00 PM, alongside Spirit of Hope Lutheran and Zion Lutheran in Lincoln and Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran in Hickman. Through fire, word, water, bread and wine, we declare that God brings life from death. Experience God’s baptismal promise and our faith’s core: renewal through Christ’s death and resurrection. We celebrate with all saints, past and present, shouting: Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Easter morning arrives with a fresh start. The Easter Sunday Festival services at 8:00, 9:30 (with livestream) and 11:00 AM rejoice in Christ’s triumph over death and our redemption story. The day is filled with Easter music, lilies and Holy Communion. Join us for Easter breakfast from 8:30-11:00 AM, savoring breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, muffins and coffeecake while enjoying fellowship!
