Holy Week at Church of the Messiah!

We are about to enter one of the most powerful and moving seasons of the entire Church year and we would love for you to join us.  Holy Week is the week before Jesus’ Resurrection and includes so many incredible events in the life of Our Lord.  This year, Holy Week begins on Sunday, April 2nd, and Church of the Messiah will be having five services throughout the week.

Holy Week begins with the celebration of Palm Sunday.  This morning we remember Our Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem when the crowd received Him with shouts of “Hosanna in the highest!”  Our service begins Sunday morning, April 2nd, at 10 o’clock, and you will not want to be late because we begin in the church courtyard with the Blessing of the Palms and process together into the church remembering how Our Lord entered the Holy City.  The service also includes a special dramatic reading of the Passion Gospel.

On April 6th, we will observe Holy Thursday and recall the evening Our Lord celebrated the Passover with His Disciples on the night before He was handed over to suffering and death.  Following Our Lord’s instructions, this service includes the powerful foot-washing ceremony in addition to the deeply moving Stripping of the Altar as a symbolic re-enactment of Jesus having everything taken from Him as He was arrested.

From noon to 3 o’clock on Friday, April 7th, we will commemorate Good Friday.  Church of the Messiah’s Good Friday service is unique and impactful.  The service is built around a series of prayers, reflective worship presentations and meditations on the seven last words of Jesus.  The service also includes a reading of the Passion Gospel, veneration of the Holy Cross, and the Mass of the Pre-Sanctified.  While this service is three hours long, it is structured in such a way to allow for worshippers to enter and exit without disruption, so, please, plan on attending even if you cannot stay for the entire service.

On Holy Saturday morning, April 8th, starting at 9 o’clock, Church of the Messiah will gather outside of A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville, one of Jacksonville’s local abortion clinics, to pray the Liturgy for the Pre-Born, a special service which was created as both a service of Last Rites for those children who will die during this holy season and a series of prayers to end abortion in America and the world.

Having recalled Our Lord’s passion and death, we can triumph in His Resurrection as we celebrate Jesus’ victory over the grave on Easter. We will have an incredible time of praise, special worship offerings and events for the children including an Easter Egg Hunt immediately following the service.  We look forward to celebrating the most incredible moment in the history of the universe with you on Sunday morning, April 9th, beginning at 10 o’clock.

Each of the services will be live streamed via Facebook Live for those who are unable to attend in person.  Childcare will be provided at all service except Holy Saturday.  Facebook events have been created for each service so that you can easily invite you friends and family to join you at any or all of our services.  Simply click the underlined service to visit the Facebook event and share the event.  We are so excited to celebrate these incredible moment in the life of Christ and these wonderful church services.  We pray that you will worship with us and invite your friends and family to gather and celebrate with us the saving deeds of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

Easter and Holy Week at Church of the Messiah

Join with Church of the Messiah as we celebrate the greatest event in all of eternity: the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ and His triumph of death and the grave!  The entire week leading up to Easter is full of unique and powerful services that help lead us in worship and celebrate the last moments of the Life of Christ prior to His glorious resurrection.  We invite you to join us for all of these incredible occasions.

Our celebration of Holy Week begins Sunday, April 10th, at 10 o’clock with our Palm Sunday Service.  Palm Sunday commemorates both Our Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and His glorious Passion later that week.  You will definitely not want to be late for this service as we will begin outside in the courtyard of the church with the Blessing of the Palm and process into the church together in memory of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into the Holy City.  In addition, we will have a special dramatic reading of the Passion Gospel from member of the congregation.  Palm Sunday is a powerful service and an amazing way to begin Holy Week.

On Thursday, April 14th, beginning at 7 pm, we will celebrate Holy Thursday.  Holy Thursday remembers the night Jesus ate the Last Supper with His apostles, washed their feet, instituted the Holy Eucharist, and commanded them to “do this in remembrance of me.”  It was also the night on which Jesus was betrayed into the hands of those who would murder Him.  We commemorate all of these events in an incredible evening that really must be experienced.

On Friday, April 15th, from noon until 3 o’clock, we commemorate Our Lord’s Passion and Death on the Holy Cross at our Good Friday service.  This service includes the reading of the Passion Gospel of St. John, intercessions and prayers, seven meditations on the death of Our Lord from different anointed speakers interspersed with reflective worship pieces from Church of the Messiah’s talented musicians and dancers. Although this service lasts a full three hours, it is structured in such a way that allows one to enter and exit easily without causing a distraction.  If you cannot come for the whole service, but are able to come for a few minutes on your lunch break, please do so.  We promise you will be blessed.

On Saturday morning, April 16th, we will observe Holy Saturday by praying the Liturgy for the Pre-Born outside A Woman’s Choice of Jacksonville (click HERE for a map).  The Liturgy begins at 9 o’clock and is a combination of Last Rites for those children who will die through abortion as well as a series of prayer to end abortion in America and the world.  On a day when Our Lord’s body was in the tomb and his disciples believed Him to be dead, it is appropriate that we remember all those innocent children who are doomed to die.

Finally, we celebrate the resurrection of Our Lord and His Triumph over death and the grave on Easter Sunday morning!  Join with Church of the Messiah and invite your friends and family as we celebrate the most important victory in the history of creation.  We will have special events for our children, incredible praise and worship, Holy Communion, an Easter Egg Hunt after the service, and even a few special surprises.  Be sure to join us for our Easter celebration beginning at 10 o’clock on Sunday morning, April 17th.

With all of our services, we will live stream the services for those who are unable to attend on Church of the Messiah’s Facebook page.  Childcare is provided for those younger than sixth grade at all services except the Holy Saturday Liturgy for the Pre-Born.  We cannot wait for you to join us in celebrating all of the events of Holy Week and, most especially, the Resurrection of Our Lord on Easter Sunday.

Holy Week at Church of the Messiah

This Sunday, April 5th, marks the beginning of the holiest week of the Christian calendar, however, this year, COVID-19 has changed the way that Christians will be observing Holy Week throughout the world.  On Wednesday, April 1st, both the Mayor of Jacksonville and the Governor of Florida issued their own “Safer at Home” orders directing non-essential businesses to close, residents to stay home unless on essential activities, and for everyone to maintain safe social distancing practices.

Thankfully, Governor DeSantis’ executive order specifically declares that churches and other houses of worship are essential during this time, but we will not do anything that might endanger either our congregation or those with whom they might come in contact.  The verse that Fr. Looker said would guide our actions during this time is still 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  We will continue to do everything that we can to share the love of God, but we will do so in a prudent way that makes every use of the sound minds which God has given us.

Recognizing that this current crisis makes for very fluid circumstances, here are our plans at the moment.  We will continue to live stream our Sunday morning services via Facebook Live.  We will do so with a skeleton crew that will be ten people or less, which follows the CDC recommendations and our Bishop’s directives.  Those people who are present in the building will do their best to maintain a healthy 6 feet of social distance whenever possible.  We will provide Holy Communion through the Host only to those who are present in the Sanctuary and those who join us in the parking lot at the designated times.  We believe that this allows us to be in submission to all of our earthly authorities while still remaining faithful to our heavenly authority which calls us to preach the Gospel at all times, and in all places; to be a light which shines in the darkness; and to bring hope to those who otherwise might have none.

In particular, we will hold our Palm Sunday service on Sunday, April 5th, beginning at 10 o’clock.  We will live stream the service through Facebook Live and those wishing to receive Holy Communion may do so in our parking lot from around 11 o’clock to 11:30.  At the time which we serve Holy Communion we will also distribute blessed palms to anyone present to take home.

Our Maundy Thursday service will be April 9th, starting at 7 o’clock.  While this service typically includes the clergy washing the feet of the congregation, we will obviously not be able to do that this year.  This service will be live streamed via Facebook Live.

Our Good Friday service will be release on our YouTube channel at noon on Friday, April 10th.  This will not be streamed live but we encourage those of you who watch it to share it on Facebook.  Our service will include the traditional reading of the Passion Gospel, the Solemn Collects, the adoration of the Cross, and, as is our tradition, seven meditations on the Passion of Our Lord.

We have yet to determine exactly how we will observe Holy Saturday.  In the past we have prayed the Liturgy for the Pre-Born outside a local abortion clinic.  We have yet to make a determination about this service.

Easter Sunday, April 12th, we will do our very best to celebrate the glorious resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to give that day all of the glory and honor it deserves.  Our service will be streamed live via our Facebook channel starting at 10 o’clock.  If you just cannot imagine an Easter Sunday without going to Church, then celebrate with us in our parking lot and receive Holy Communion from 11:00-11:30.

We know that these are anxious and uncertain times.  This will be a Holy Week unlike anything anyone has ever celebrated in over 100 years.  At Church of the Messiah, we are doing our very best to bring honor and glory to God, to bring hope and joy to God’s people, and to be that city on a hill that shines out God’s light in this dark time.  We invite you to join with us during this time.  By God’s grace, we will get through this together.

Relive the Life of Christ with Us!

Church of the Messiah invites you to join with us for the entire week leading up to Easter as we relive and celebrate those world-changing days in Jerusalem leading up to Jesus’ betrayal, Passion, death, and Resurrection.

Beginning April 9th we invite you to join us as we commemorate Our Lord’s Triumphal Entry in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  The service begins in the courtyard of the church at 10 o’clock with the Blessing of the Palms and the procession into the church waiving the palms while shouting “Hosanna in the highest!”  The service continues with a special reading of the Passion Gospel and helps prepare everyone for the incredible days to come.

On Holy Thursday night, April 13th, we remember how Our Lord gathered together his Apostles and celebrated the Passover with them at the Last Supper.  Following Christ’s example, the clergy of Church of the Messiah will remember that “the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve,” and will wash the feet of the congregation.  We will celebrate the Holy Eucharist in remembrance of what Our Lord began that night, and then, symbolizing His betrayal by Judas Iscariot, we strip the Altar and prepare for Good Friday.  This is always a moving service.  The evening begins with a free soup supper from 6:00-6:45 and the service itself begins at 7 o’clock.

On Friday, April 14th, from noon until 3 o’clock, we will meditate on the sufferings Our Lord endured for our sake during His Passion.  The Good Friday service consists of a reading of the Passion of Jesus according to St. John, seven different meditations, prayers, and intercession, as well as the veneration of the Cross.  It is a powerful way to commemorate the day that the world was forever changed.  This service is specially designed so that those who cannot stay for the entire service may still attend a portion.  Feel free to join us on your lunch break and to come and go as you are able.

Sunday morning, April 16th, we invite you to join us at 10 o’clock as we celebrate the joy and blessing of the Resurrection of Our Lord on Easter Sunday!  Having been buried with Him, we shall also rise with Him, and we revel in all that He has done for us in this special service.  We will have a special Easter Egg hunt for the children immediately following the service.

All of the services are at Church of the Messiah at 3754 University Club Blvd (click HERE for a map) and childcare is provided during all services.  We cannot wait to commemorate all that Our Lord did for us leading up to His glorious and triumphant Resurrection on Easter, so please join us on Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and, of course, Easter Sunday.  For more information contact the parish office at 904-721-4199.