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.