Maundy Thursday

Dear HLPC family,

Our church does not follow a strict liturgical calendar.  If we did, we would be highlighting and celebrating many additional and different days and seasons of the year.  What we, and many other churches out of the Reformed tradition, celebrate are what are known as the five evangelical feast days. These are Christmas, Maundy Thursday or Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Ascension, and Pentecost. 

HLPC has historically only marked Christmas, Maundy Thursday, and Easter Sunday (though I have on a few occasions preached a sermon that corresponded to the Ascension).  A very practical reason we have remembered Maundy Thursday, as opposed to Good Friday, is that an evening service is much easier for most to attend than a daytime service.  Sadly, fewer of us have Good Friday off each year.

While we affirm that the Lord’s Day is a weekly designed celebration of the resurrection, we see no harm and even see great benefit in giving emphasis to the historical work of the Lord Jesus at appropriate seasons of the year.  We are able to remember and rejoice in His work because it really happened at a real time we can mark on the calendar.  This is an historical event we celebrate—an event that can only be understood properly in light of God’s revelation in Scripture.

I hope you’ll come this Thursday night at 6:30PM as we reflect on the suffering of Jesus’ as our Redeemer.  It is designed to be a somber, reflective time for us.  Maundy Thursday gets its different sounding name by borrowing from the Latin for “command.”  It is “new commandment Thursday” when Jesus told his disciples that a “new commandment” He gave to them, and us, to love one another.  Then come back Sunday morning for Easter brunch at 9AM and at 10:30AM for morning worship and the celebration of Jesus as our risen Lord and King!  All are welcome!

Your Pastor,

Paul