This season of Lent is surely not what we expected it to be. We continue to wrestle with how best to respond to the COVID-19 virus, and have spent the last several Sundays worshiping online. In this time, we have been exploring the ideas from Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks, by Diana Butler Bass (the sermon series can be found here). If there were ever a time that we were in need of resurrection, this is it!
In this time of waiting, we will continue to worship online and will include services that are familiar and services that are new. Further, we will continue to join in spiritual community with our friends from St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.
On Sunday, April 5, we will celebrate Palm Sunday with palms and with familiar hymns during our 9:00am hour. This is a time that we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, leading directly to his crucifixion and resurrection.
New to PB UMC, we will celebrate Maundy Thursday at 6:00pm on April 9. In Christian tradition, this is a special celebration of Jesus’ last supper with his disciples before he went to pray in the garden of Gethsemane.
Good Friday falls on April 10, when we will livestream a traditional tenebrae service at 6:00pm that will include scripture and the extinguishing of candles as we proceed through the story of Jesus’ final hours.
Like all of our services during Holy Week, our Easter celebration will take place by livestream on April 12 at 9:00am including traditional hymns and a message celebrating resurrection. Even in a time when we wonder when we might be able to worship together in spirit and in community, the online Easter celebration is a time of hope and new life. All are welcome to join in thoughtful reflection, prayer, spiritual community, worship, and celebration.
