We Need You, Christ Wants You! Come Celebrate Easter!

What are you doing from sunset on Thursday, April 13 until sunset on Sunday April 16? Why not come to church?

We need you! Christ wants you!

Come and celebrate Christianity's most important holiday of the year: Easter!

Our celebration of Easter is called the Triduum-a Latin word for "of three days." That's because it starts on Holy Thursday night and goes till Easter Sunday. But don't worry... you won't be in church for the whole time...we take breaks!

On Holy Thursday, we begin. We enter into the liturgy with song and with bells ringing. We hear how Jesus, on the night before he died, took bread and wine, said the blessing, broke the bread, and shared the bread and the cup with his friends saying to them-saying to us!-"Take and eat! Take and drink! This is my body, this is my blood. Do this, remember me!"

We hear how Jesus, the master, the teacher, the leader, took off his cloak, tied an apron around his waist, and washed the feet of his friends. We remember that he said, "If I, who am your teacher and Lord, have done this for you, so must you do this for one another." And so we do... we wash each other's feet just like Jesus said. Come and have your feet washed! Come and wash someone's feet! We can't just think we love each other. We can't just say we love each other. We have to show that we love each other. Washing feet in church is practice-practice for doing all those things out in the world that may seem gross and ridiculous: hugging babies with AIDS, changing the diapers of an Alzheimer's patient, inviting a homeless person to eat a sandwich with us.

On Good Friday, we keep going. There might be some prayers during the day like the stations of the cross, where we walk the way that Jesus walked, from his bogus trial at Pontius Pilate's court to the hill outside Jerusalem where he was executed.

But what you absolutely don't want to miss is the celebration of the Lord's Passion. Check your church bulletin. It's usually held after 3 p.m., and often at night. The mood is somber. We don't begin with singing because we really began last night. The ministers enter and lay on the floor. That's an ancient sign of sorrow. We all kneel. Then we stand, pray and keep going. We hear the long story of Jesus' suffering and death, from the Gospel of John. Then the cross is brought in. We walk to the cross, embrace it, kiss it, trace it on our own body. Because we know. We know love is stronger than death. The story does not end here.

On Holy Saturday, we watch and wait. Remember how you felt all day before homecoming or before the prom? There was stuff to do, to get ready. But didn't you have butterflies in your stomach? Weren't you excited about finally getting to put on that dress, that tux? Give those flowers? Have that first slow dance? That's how all of us could feel on Holy Saturday during the day...we're waiting for tonight!

On Holy Saturday night, we keep our Easter Vigil. This is church at its coolest! We build a fire. We light candles. We tell stories in the dark. We sing our most holy and ancient song: Alleluia! A Hebrew word that can't possibly be translated.

We baptize people. We anoint people with chrism in confirmation. We make our own baptismal promises anew. We start over. We share holy communion. Every bad thing ever done is forgiven. Every hurt is healed. Every tear turns into laughter. Don't miss this!

On Easter Sunday, we eat chocolate. Even for breakfast. Enough said. (And it doesn't give you zits.)

Other options: If you think that things at your church will be too boring to bear this Easter, take a road trip!

For the Triduum in Spanish and in English, head over to St. Nicholas Church in Evanston: 806 Ridge Ave. You can walk to the church (about 15 minutes) from the Main Street exit on the purple line. Or go to www.mapquest.com for driving directions.
Holy Thursday and Good Friday at 7:30 p.m. Easter Vigil at 8 p.m.
www.nickchurch.org

For the Triduum in English only, with most of the congregation being young adults in their 20s and 30s, go to St. Clement Church in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood: 642 W. Deming Place. You can walk to the church (about 15 minutes) from the Fullerton stop on the red or brown lines. Or go to www.mapquest.com for driving directions.
Holy Thursday and Good Friday at 7:30 p.m. Easter Vigil at 8 p.m.
www.stclementchurch.org

Good liturgy guaranteed, or your admission price refunded!

Download the Triduum activity Sheet as a Word document.