PRAYER VIGIL UPDATE
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Union Avenue is holding a special “Holy Triduum” Prayer Vigil between our Maundy Thursday worship service and our Easter Sunday morning worship service. The Holy Triduum is the set of three days from sunset on Maundy Thursday to sunset on Easter Sunday that have been the ancient and traditional time of vigil and celebration for Christians at the arrival of the Resurrection each year. (“He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day…” from 1 Cor. 15:4) This is a simple but excellent way to bring our Lenten pilgrimage to completion, enter into the miracle and season of Easter, and be united in prayer not only as our own congregation but also with Christians all over the world.
Every member of the church (and anyone else who would like to participate) is asked to be in prayer for one hour during this vigil as we anticipate the arrival of Easter and meditate upon the Paschal Mystery. You do not need to come to the church building to participate — simply find a place and time where you can connect with God, be it at home in private, outdoors in God’s great garden, or anywhere you feel the presence of the Spirit and a sense of sacred space. You can signup yourself via the online SignupGenuis (link HERE), or contact Rev. Michael to get help signing up.
For those seeking some prayer resources to help fill the hour, Rev. Michael has put together a list of various Stations of the Cross (one of the traditional ways to pray during the Three Days). Many of these combine each Station with a meditation upon issues of social justice and intersectional oppression. You can look over the list below and see which ones you might like to use.
As an alternative (or in addition), everyone is invited to read the entirety of the Gospel According to Mark as part of or in addition to their hour of prayerful vigil. It takes about 90 minutes to read it aloud in a public setting, so you can likely read it to yourself in about an hour. For those who would like to listen to the Gospel According to Mark (either along with their reading or in place of), Rev. Michael has provided a recording of it being read live from start to finish at a Holy Week event some years ago (link HERE), using the translation of the Greek by Disciples minister and revered New Testament scholar Dr. Eugene Boring (Prof. Emeritus, Brite Divinity School, TCU).
Thank you all for your willingness to participate in this Holy Triduum Prayer Vigil and help our congregation join together in prayer.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK
For those wanting to listen to the Gospel According to Mark, Rev. Michael has provided a recording of it being read live from start to finish at a Holy Week event some years ago, using the translation of the Greek by Disciples minister and revered New Testament scholar Dr. Eugene Boring (Prof. Emeritus, Brite Divinity School, TCU). (https://www.icloud.com/iclouddrive/098jepmCklzFcW12PFlef6i4w)
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Rev. Jim Burklo (United Church of Christ, Sr. Assoc. Dean of Religious and Spiritua Life, USC) offers a more traditional approach to the Stations of the Cross but with a progressive theological interpretation. This is a really good way to become acquainted with the Stations if you've never prayed them before. (https://progressivechristianity.org/resources/stations-of-the-cross-2022/)
The Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York shares this online stations, featuring the juxaposition of painted murals depicting the Via Dolorosa with modern photographs featuring various forms of intersectional injustice and oppression: political violence, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, asylum seekers, ableism, violence against transgender people, the plight of immigrants, land divestment of indigenous peoples, mental health, health care workers, children and families living in poverty, xenophobic violence, AIDS, and climate injustice. (https://sfxavier.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Stations-of-the-Cross-Mar-12-FINAL-FINAL-FINAL.pdf)
Harbour Faith Community shares this online Stations from 2021, connecting the events of the Via Dolorosa with the experiences of the underprivileged and impoverished of today and the impact of COVID-19 on society. Each station has a link to at least one article exploring the related issue in a real-world context. Recommended for those who want to read a lot and dive into socioeconomic injustice. (https://harbourfaith.com/blog/2021/4/1/stations-of-the-cross)
Qspirit.net's blog explores the 24 paintings found in Douglas Blanchard's “The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision” with commentary, prayers, and short Bible passages. The paintings present Jesus as a contemporary gay man in a modern city as he lives out the dramatic events of Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, and his arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection. (https://qspirit.net/gay-passion-of-christ-intro/) A short video exploring the series can be found here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSRAUwP9kio).
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops share “Stations of the Cross: Overcoming Racism” in a powerful and straightforward liturgy, exploring the intersectional oppressions of racial injustice. (https://www.usccb.org/resources/stations-of-the-cross-overcoming-racism.pdf)
Epworth United Methodist Church (an anti-racism, open-and-affirming congregation in Berkeley, CA) shares and audio tour of various locations in their community, linking a photograph of each site with one of the Stations. This progressive Stations of the Cross opens the eyes to how a local congregation might begin to connect issues of social justice with the walk of faith and a congregation's witness. (https://www.youraudiotour.com/tours/1399/)
Rev. Emily Scott (ELCA pastor, church planter, queer and genderqueer) shares her photoessay “Suffering Doesn't Save: Good Friday Stations that don't Fetishize Pain” using images of contemporary violence and injustice and a simple one-sentence prayer, inviting viewers to deeply engage and meditate on the images, their meaning, and their intersection with our faith. (http://www.emilymdscott.com/writing/2018/3/9/good-friday-stations)