This Sunday begins the period of time that we know as Holy Week – a week that encompasses the observances of Palm/Passion Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and of course, Easter Sunday. Of course, this also continues to be an extension of the “Sundays in Live Stream” season that we have been encountering due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. 
So what are we going to do about Holy Week? One of the beauties of Holy Week at University Lutheran is that it is so participatory – from waving palms outside of church on Palm Sunday to our messianic Seder meal on Maundy Thursday to nailing nails into the cross during confession on Good Friday, to bringing food and celebrating together for Easter. Unfortunately, due to our needing to be apart, we will not be able to do much of that. However, we continue to see this time as a time in which God can work even in the midst of disaster. So here are our plans for Holy Week:
Palm Sunday – Go cut a palm (or make one). – One of the benefits of living in Florida is that we have palms all over the place. We have sago palms, sabal palms, queen palms, and other kinds of palms. If you don’t have one, ask a neighbor if you can cut a palm. If your neighbor says no, just make your own with construction paper and tape or something. We will have live stream worship at our usual time (11am) and will encourage you to engage in the old tradition of placing your palm above your door (or on the ground in front of your door) throughout Holy Week to remind you that it is Holy Week.
Maundy Thursday – On Maundy Thursday, we can’t gather for our usual meal together and we can’t even gather together for the Sacrament of the Altar, but what we will do instead is have a simple internet-streamed service that reflects on the gift of Holy Communion. In these moments when we cannot gather together for communion, we feel our hearts tugged toward it. We will use our ache for the sacrament to motivate our deepening appreciation for it.
Good Friday – Instead of our normal tenebrae service, we will engage with a Scriptural version of the Stations of the Cross on our internet streams. We will have 14 separate meditations on the 14 stations of the cross, pausing five times for mini-sermons or homilies on the bigger thematic ideas.
Holy Saturday – Normally we don’t engage together on Holy Saturday, but this year we will have a brief internet streamed service that considers rest and the Sabbath, and how Jesus’ Sabbath rest becomes ours because of His Sacrifice on the Cross.
Easter Sunday – Easter Sunday will be another live streamed service. Sure it won’t be the same, but we are hoping that you recognize that the true greatness of Easter is really not first and foremost our gathering, but Jesus’ victory over the grave – something that continues to be the case no matter if we are able to gather or not.
Easter Sunday 2.0 – When we gather back together again for the first time, we will celebrate as if it is Easter with as much celebratory activities as we can muster — even if that is a combined Easter and Pentecost celebration.
Sure, this Holy Week isn’t going to be the same, but it is still going to be holy – and that’s what matters. Let us set apart these days and celebrate them, recognizing that God has given us all that we need to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.