Holy Week 2026 at FCCBC
Holy Week begins this coming Sunday.
This year we will walk through these days as one unfolding liturgy, from Palm Sunday, through the shadow of the cross on Holy Thursday, and into the dawn of resurrection on Easter Sunday.
On the surface, the story of Holy Week is about the collision of powers: religious anxiety, imperial violence, and the ancient illusion that control can be maintained through death.
Jesus' way of aliveness threatens the system that keeps everything running smoothly, and the machinery of empire moves to silence him, as they have silenced so many before and so many after.
But beneath that outer story is another mystery.
Jesus knows what is coming. And he speaks of it in the language of seeds:
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
Beloveds, Holy Week is not only a story about death or about state violence. It is a story about love that surrenders itself and multiplies.
And Jesus does not walk this path alone. His friends remain near: Mary Magdalene, John, his mother, and others who keep watch, hold vigil, and bear witness.
This week we are invited to take our place among them—to watch, to wait, to wtiness, and to tend the light that reveals love is strong as death.
For those who held their post as witnesses were the first to discover the truth at the center of our faith: nothing real can ever be killed.
Here's what to expect this Holy Week:
Sunday, March 29th, 10AM:
Palm Sunday - Set Me as a Seal
Our journey begins on Palm Sunday, not with the triumphal entry at the city gates, gathered around the table in the home of Lazarus, where Mary (Magdalene) anoints Jesus, preparing and empowering him for what will unfold.
After the storytelling and the preaching, we will participate in a ritual of anointing to prepare our hearts and spirits for the Holy Week journey, and we'll conclude the service with a triumphant Palm Procession as we take our witness into the world in Jesus' footsteps.
Thursday, April 2nd, 6PM:
Holy Thursday - I Have Called You Friends
Our liturgy continues on the evening of Holy Thursday, where we will commemorate the events of both Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in one long liturgy.
This multi-sensory liturgical drama in the Sanctuary will feature chants, readings, and reflections from the perspective of Jesus' friends: Mary Magdalene, Martha, Lazarus/John/the Beloved, Judas, and Jesus' mother, Mary of Nazareth.
We will begin with foot washing and eucharist in the Upper Room, then keep watch with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane as he is betrayed. Then we follow him to Golgotha, and keep vigil at the tomb alongside his beloveds.
The Sanctuary will remain open after the worship service for a time of silent meditation.
Please prioritize attending this once-a-year liturgy.
NOTE: very small amount of myrrh and frankincense will be used during the last ten minutes of this service, and localized in one part of the Sanctuary. If needful, consider bringing a mask for your comfort.
If you would like to participate in foot washing, wear shoes that can easily be removed and replaced.
Sunday, April 5th, 10AM:
Easter Sunday - Love is Strong as Death
Our Holy Week liturgy completes on the morning of Easter Sunday, where with Mary Magdalene we will return to Jesus' tomb to discover that death could not keep him down. We will celebrate the reunion and listen for the voice of our Beloved calling our names as we gather at the table for Eucharist and sing beloved Easter hymns.
For families with young ones, we'll have an Easter Egg hunt before the worship service; please plan to join us! And after the service, we'll have an Easter photo booth in the Courtyard for family and friends to capture the moment of Paschal joy.