Creating Intimacy During Holy Week

By Carol Woolum Roberts

For those who are followers of Jesus, this week before Easter Sunday is a time to reflect on the final days Jesus was on this earth before his crucifixion and resurrection. It can be a very somber, introspective week for many.

For the past few years, Paul and I have been able to take the words from the Bible, and information about each of the twelve disciples that followed Jesus and present a Maundy Thursday service at our church.

As people arrive, they are given a program that says the following:

Please enter the sanctuary quietly and take a seat in a pew.

Tonight, we remember the last evening Jesus and His Disciples shared a meal and spoke together.

There was the washing of the feet.

There was the breaking of the bread.

There was the drinking of the cup.

It was a very intimate time for Jesus and his friends.

We invite you to also have an intimate time with Jesus tonight.

Sit quietly and prepare your hearts to be with Jesus.

At the end of the service, we will all get up together and follow the light of Jesus out of the church.

The service begins with Paul and I each introducing each disciple that sat with Jesus around the table. As we introduce each man, a candle is lit.

We share the story of what happened around the table that night, from the washing of the feet, the breaking of the bread and partaking of the cup, which we serve to those in attendance, the acknowledgement of the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, the comforting of the disciples, and then reminders of how each disciple will abandon Jesus in his hour of greatest suffering.

The service ends following the candle that represents Jesus out of the sanctuary and into the world, showing that the candle of Jesus continues to burn as a sign of hope in the darkness, and an anticipation of the resurrection that is to come on Sunday.

What an honor to share this story tonight.

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Does Holy Week or the Easter season ever inspire any kind of creativity in you?  Share with us.

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