Resources For Holy Week at Home

Holy Week is the week between Palm Sunday (yesterday) and Easter. It’s the week that we remember the last week of Jesus’ life, his death, and resurrectiong. It’s often a week full of special church activities and gathering with friends and family. But for all of us, this will now be another week at home, so I wanted to share with you some ideas for Holy Week specifically and then some more for staying close to God in general in these challenging times.

• Remember the story: Matthew 21 tells of the Triumphal Entry (Palm Sunday). If you read that on Sunday and one more chapter each day of the week, you'll read Matthew 28 and Jesus' Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Even if you didn’t start yesterday, you can catch up a chapter and finish out the rest of the week!

• Maundy Thursday Table Liturgy: Maundy Thursday is the day we remember Jesus’ last supper with his disicples and his new command to “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). As you eat that night, you can use this simple table liturgy to remember the events of that night (courtesy of our friends at Covenant Presbyterian Church of Chicago)

• Prayer and Fasting on Good Friday (April 10): The leadership of our denomination (the PCA) has joined the leaders of several other denominations in calling all our members to join together in Prayer and Fasting this Friday, in recognition both of the long tradition of particularly remembering Jesus' death on Good Friday and calling out to God in the midst of our current crisis. More details to come on how to do this and a virtual gathering that day.

• Listen to music: I've been listening to and loving the Resurrection Letters series of albums from singer Andrew Peterson. They take you through the darkness of Good Friday, the joy of Easter Sunday and the effects of Jesus' Resurrection for us. 

• Keep Easter special: While many Easter traditions of gathering with family and friends will not be possible, I would still encourage you to mark Easter Sunday as special as possible, with whatever special food, gifts, and activities that are still possible. And of course, joining together in our virtual building!

This will be a Holy Week unlike any other for most of us and there is great sadness in that. At the same time, we can remember that the first Holy Week was an awful time for Jesus and His followers, but Easter still came! And the hope of Easter is that an even greater celebration is yet to come, when Jesus will come again!

Blessings,
Pastor Jimmy

Resurrection Relief Fund

UPDATE: If you would like to apply for support from the fund, the application is here

In Acts 11:27-30, a prophet announces that there will be a famine throughout the land. The young church in Antioch responds by taking up a collection to send to Judea for the relief of the Christians there. And throughout the centuries, Christians have followed their example by pooling their resources to help others in times of crisis.

Today, we don’t have a prophetic word from God to tell us that trouble is coming, but many are predicting the likelihood of significant economic fallout from this coronavirus, including much potential loss of income and jobs. At the same time, our federal government is in the process of passing a large economic stimulus bill that will send checks directly to many Americans.

The way this is likely to work means that some of us will get checks even though we have not suffered any loss of income. Others will get checks, but it won’t end up being enough to cover their needs.

In response and preparation, the oversight commission of Resurrection Community Church has approved the creation of the Resurrection Relief Fund to help those who have been affected by the whole coronavirus situation and whatever continues to happen in the coming months.

If you are expecting to receive a stimulus check but reasonably expect your income to remain stable, would you consider donating your stimulus check or a significant portion of it to the Resurrection Relief Fund?

Distributions from this fund will be managed by a newly-created relief team of Resurrection members. They will distribute money first to those in need in the Resurrection family, and secondly to neighbors in Virginia Beach known to members of our community. Since the impacts of this current situation may well last for quite some time, we hope to collect enough money to keep the fund going as long as it is needed.

If you already know you need help, we are still creating the relief team and application process, but go ahead and let us know that you are in need. (UPDATE: Apply here!)

If you would like to make a contribution to the fund, please use any of the options on our giving page.

If you have any questions, please ask away!