Local churches ready for Easter
As Holy Week comes to a close with Good Friday today, local churches are welcoming students and residents to celebrate the passion of Christ with them.
Holy Week celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Today, a worship service called Tenebrae takes place.
The Rev. Michael Jones, of the Wesley United Methodist Church, 2206 Fourth St., said “Tenebrae” is a Latin word meaning “shadows.”
“The purpose of the Tenebrae service is to recreate the emotional and spiritual aspects of the passion of Christ,” he said.
The service will begin with seven candles burning at the altar. After each reading, the choir will sing a hymn, followed by the extinguishment of a candle.
“Each extinguished candle symbolizes the growing spiritual darkness caused by the betrayal, abandonment and agony of Jesus,” Jones said.
At the end of the service, all seven candles will be extinguished, leaving the room in darkness to symbolize the sealing of Jesus’s tomb.
On Holy Saturday, the Easter Vigil Worship will be held.
The Easter Vigil, also known as the Great Service of Lights, symbolizes the day Christ was entombed. The service is also known as the Lord’s Day of Rest.
The weekend will close with the celebration of Easter Sunday, the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ, who is said to have risen from the dead three days after his death on the cross.
Holy Week began Sunday with Palm Sunday, during which Christians celebrate the day Christ rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey, days before his death on the cross.
As he was riding through Jerusalem, children spread palm branches in front of him, while several others praised him as the Messiah. Palm Sunday is celebrated using palm leaves.
The next special day of Holy Week landed yesterday on Holy Thursday, or “Maundy Thursday.” This day commemorates the Passover meal, called the Last Supper.
On this day, Christ celebrated his final meal with his disciples just before he was betrayed by Judas and handed over to the Romans.
Services in the area
Michael Schwader can be reached at 581-7942 or at mwschwader@eiu.edu.
Local churches ready for Easter
Members of the First Presbyterian Church in Charleston attend services Thursday night in preparation for Easter rituals. (Bryce Peake/The Daily Eastern News)
