St Cuddy's, Oakland: Holy Week and Easter 2008

Holy Week and Easter 2008

St. Cuthbert's Episcopal Church

7932 Mountain Blvd.

Oakland, CA 94605

(510) 365-4949

www.stcuthbertsoakland.org

Palm Sunday, March 16th, 10 a.m. Holy Communion – Procession around the church and the dramatic reading of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Maundy Thursday, March 20th, 7:30 p.m. – “Maundy” comes from the Latin, “mandatum” or commandment, referring to Jesus’ commandment to love. We will remember the setting for the First Supper of the New Age, the Holy Eucharist. We will wash each other’s feet as a sign of Christ’s service to us and of his call for us to serve others in his name. At the end, we will strip the altar then empty the church in silence, taking the sacrament with us, to prepare for Good Friday.

Good Friday, March 21st, 7:30 p.m. – God’s Friday - the day when we remember Jesus’ Crucifixion.

Easter Vigil, March 22nd, 7:30 p.m. – We begin with our Great Vigil of Easter after sundown with the lighting the New Fire of Easter, singing the ancient Exultet and end with bells, Great Alleluias and the blazing light of Glory.

Easter Day, March 23rd, 10 a.m. – Easter Sunday service, the Queen of Festivals, when we unpack our alleluias, when we ring in the resurrection with organs, choir, trumpets and horns and songs of joy. Pastors Betty Clark and Eugene Williams and the congregation of Church Without Walls (who now rent our worship space at 2 p.m. on Sundays) will join us at the 10 a.m. Easter service.

If you have never attended a Maundy Thursday or Good Friday or the Easter Vigil service before – this is the year to try one or two or three of these. Some parts of these worship traditions go back to the ancient Christian Church, dating from the 1st to the 4th century CE.