HOLY WEEK

/ Union Avenue Christian Church/
HOLY WEEK.jpg

As we move into the holiest of weeks in which we walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we are reminded at every turn that we are never alone. The good news of Holy Week is that this temple called Jesus is our true home. That is where we are bound in faith to live our life and dream our dreams and claim our identities. Most of us, most of the time, find ourselves in the wrong temple — places that make promises of safety that leave us more anxious, offers of joy that leave us disconsolate. Partly we are in the wrong place by will, partly by habit, and partly by accident, but however we find ourselves in the wrong place we are aware of our need to find our way home.  

Our work in the season of Lent has been to move from these false temples to the true temple who is Jesus. And then to receive a different life — the life he calls us to live. Every movement in this week we call "Holy" — the arrival in Jerusalem, the Passover meal, the foot washing, the prayers, the arrest, the denial, the torture, the suffering, the separation, the crucifixion, the grief — lies at the heart of our Christian identity, articulating what our lives as followers of Jesus look like beyond Easter Sunday.

As we set our sights on April 1 and remember the witness of Mary, "I have seen the Lord!," reimagining how her words might be our own, we invite you to join us for HOLY WEEK activities at Union Avenue Christian Church, beginning Sunday, March 25, with PALM SUNDAY. Rev. Michael Riggs will lead us into this Holy Week with a message entitled "Don't Reign on Our Parade!" drawing inspiration from the Gospel according to Mark and the prophet Zechariah.

Holy Week continues as we gather MAUNDY THURSDAY [March 29] with Disciples from Centennial, Memorial Boulevard, and Webster Groves Christian Churches to remember Jesus' "last supper" with his disciples. We will gather here at Memorial Boulevard [3000 N. Kingshighway] beginning at 6 p.m. for a potluck supper [members and friends of Union Avenue are asked to bring vegetables and salads to share]. At 7 p.m. we will move into a service of song, prayer, and the Word. Each of the four churches choirs will share their musical talents, and we will gather at the table for communion before heading into the darkness of the night.

EASTER morning brings with it all the promises of a new day! We continue our Union Avenue tradition of EASTER MORNING BREAKFAST for all and an EASTER EGG HUNT for our children. Our XPLOR residents are hosting this year's breakfast, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Room. Our breakfast menu includes fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, biscuits, and other assorted breakfast treats, including coffee, milk, and juice. The Easter egg hunt will begin at 10:15 a.m. on the lawn.

Morning worship begins at 10:45 a.m. as we celebrate joyously Jesus' victory over death. "Easter Fools!" revisits Paul's epistle to the corinthians and how we wrestle with the foolishness of a cross that now stands empty in the wake of Resurrection [1 Cor.1:18 – 31]We will conclude our celebration of new life with members and friends of the congregation joining The Chanel Choir to sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. Please join us as we find our way back to the heart of God and celebrate new life through Christ.