Please pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you to come to Chapel Hill on Thursday and be present for the 7:00 pm Maundy Thursday service in the Sanctuary. Holy Thursday is the designated day in which our Lord gathered his disciples for a Passover meal. Our Lord acted as the host of the meal and used new and shocking words. The disciples were used to hearing the traditional blessings of the bread and the various cups on the table. But Jesus instituted words that we use today in remembering that He gave His life for us on the cross and spilled His blood for us in crucifixion. This dramatic and powerful service will cause you to look deeply into your soul and feel a nearer presence of our Lord and Savior.
The practice of stripping the church is a dramatic ritual incorporated into this beautiful service. This ritual dates to the seventh century and is a way of showing the desolation and abandonment of the long night in Gethsemane which Christ experienced. This desolation is symbolized by the stripping of the altar table, and the removal of all textile hangings and candles. The purple cross drape that has been used for the Lenten season will be replaced by the black drape as we prepare our hearts to remember the crucifixion of our Lord on Friday.
See you Thursday, Pastor JoNell
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