a whole new experience, pt. 2

MAUDY THURSDAY
(maudy, Latin for mandate; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday)
Service divided into four parts, not three as it's usually broken down.
* Call to worship
* Worship -- reading from the Gospel of John, the Last Supper; remembering one's baptism (getting sprayed with holy water, three times, no less; Randy getting sprayed by Scott without warning) and communion (the two sacraments instructed by Jesus)
* Reading of the Shadows (tenebrae, Latin for shadows; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenebrae)
* Loud sound (gong played by Paul) in complete darkness that symbolizes the earthquake when Christ died during the eclipse; leaving the Sanctuary in darkness
** Maudy Thursday serves as an introduction to the Holy Friday service, which concludes with the celebration on Easter Sunday.

HOLY FRIDAY -- SEVEN LAST WORDS (3 HRS)
* I arrived 30 minutes late (12:30pm), but I stayed till the end (3pm). I wouldn't really know everything that took place. I kept passing out thanks to all the medicine that I'm taking.

EASTER SUNDAY
* The church was crowded to the roof literally (full house, including the balcony and the chapel).
* Scott - "Jesus is on the loose."

In all I spent five hours in church this past week, much more than I'd have expected to stay in church.

a whole new experience

It's Holy Week and last night was the Twelve Stations of the Cross (6:30pm), which was an odd experience of spiritual self analysis. I don't know what to expect of Maudy Thursday (7pm service) or Holy Friday (Seven Last Words, three-hour service starting at noon) other than being services in almost complete darkness with melancholic music. As noted several times, this is a whole new experience for me.