Holy Week & Easter 2025

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday (April  13) and ends on Easter Sunday (April 20). It is called Holy Week because it is a week set-apart and dedicated specifically to remembering many of the events in the days leading up to and including Jesus’ death and resurrection.

For followers of Jesus, this is THE week. The week that changed everything for all time for all people and so we dedicate ourselves to re-membering (gathering together) to worship, prayer, and re-tell the beautiful, horrific, and forever life-changing story of how God loved us and saved us and all humanity!

What is Palm Sunday?

On this holy day, we remember and retell the story of Jesus entering Jerusalem, on His way to the cross, riding on a donkey. As people saw him they waved palm branches and hailed Him saying, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” On this day they celebrated Him, but in just a few days they would have Him crucified. This holy day is the opening sequence in the drama that will unfold throughout the rest of Holy Week. 

What is Maundy Thursday?

The word ‘maundy’ comes from the Latin word ‘mandatum’, which means mandate. On this holy night we remember Jesus’ command to His disciples that they should love one another. This was Jesus’ mandate to them.

On this night, Jesus also washed His disciples’ feet as an example of the kind of love He wanted them to share (that of a servant) and shared the Last Supper with them. To remember this teaching of Jesus and the meal He gave us to eat together as we remember and worship Him, we gather and have a time for those who wish to have their feet washed and we share in Holy Communion.

This service ends with a reading from the Psalms that recalls Jesus suffering foretold thousands of year before it happened. As the Psalm is read, all of the adornments in the church are taken down and the altar is stripped to remember Jesus’ suffering. The service ends in silence and then on Good Friday we resume our re-membering and re-telling.

Why is it called Good Friday?

On this holy day we remember Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross. It is because of His death on the cross that we can be forgiven our sins and receive God’s free gift of salvation and life eternal. In and through Jesus’ death we are saved, freed, healed, and made whole. This is why it’s called Good Friday. While it is a somber day and a solemn service, it is good too because of what Jesus did for us all. This service too ends in silence until we gather on Easter at sunrise to celebrate our Lord’s resurrection.