Holy Week and Easter Services
Palm Sunday Liturgies: Sunday, April 14, 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., Chapel
Maundy Thursday Liturgy: April 18, 7:30 p.m., Chapel
Good Friday Liturgies: April 19, 12:10 and 7:30 p.m., Chapel
Great Vigil of Easter with Baptism: Saturday, April 20, 8:00 p.m., Chapel
Easter Sunday Liturgies: Sunday, April 21, 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., Chapel
Easter Egg Hunt: Sunday, April 21 following the 10:00 a.m. service, Playground and Courtyard
Palm Sunday Liturgies: Sunday, April 14, 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., Chapel
Maundy Thursday Liturgy: April 18, 7:30 p.m., Chapel
Good Friday Liturgies: April 19, 12:10 and 7:30 p.m., Chapel
Great Vigil of Easter with Baptism: Saturday, April 20, 8:00 p.m., Chapel
Easter Sunday Liturgies: Sunday, April 21, 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., Chapel
Easter Egg Hunt: Sunday, April 21 following the 10:00 a.m. service, Playground and Courtyard
April 9, 2019
Dear Members and Friends of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church,
Aloha! I am writing to call you to worship for the most sacred time of the Christian year, the week we call Holy Week and the Day of the Resurrection: Easter Sunday. During these eight days the church commemorates Jesus’ final week of his life, how it began with great hope and expectation that Jesus would overturn the powers of the day that oppressed the people, but instead ended in his arrest, unjust trial and crucifixion. Yet, despite these turn of events, Jesus’ execution was not the end, but a new beginning in which he would be raised to Resurrection life, and his disciples would move from living in fear to fearlessly living in love.
The services of Holy Week and Easter are the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday; Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Great Vigil of Easter with Holy Baptism and the first Communion of Easter, and the Easter Sunday services.
This Sunday, April 14th is called the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday. The chapel will be decorated with Palms reminding us of how Jesus entered into Jerusalem and the people waved palm branches to welcome him as their hoped for Messiah or Savior. On this day we walk around the church with palm crosses to reenact and remember the hopes that people had. The service also includes the reading of the Passion of Jesus according to Luke as we remember how after his entrance into Jerusalem he was betrayed, arrested, unjustly tried as guilty, and crucified.
On Thursday of Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, April 18th we remember Jesus’ last meal with his disciples in which he gave them the commandment to “do this in remembrance of me.” On this night, we remember how Jesus gave his disciples a way to remember him. Before supper he took some bread and said, “This is my body.” And at the end of supper he took a cup of wine and said, “This is my blood.” Ever since that night, Christians receive the bread and the wine as a sacramental way of receiving Jesus’ life and love into their own lives.
Also, on this night we remember how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to model for them, how he came to be with them as a servant. On this night we also wash one another’s feet to remind ourselves that we too are called to be servants.
This year, the congregation of Island United Church of Christ, Foster City and their Interim Pastor, the Rev. Jim Mitulski will be joining us for the Maundy Thursday service.
On Friday, April 19th, Good Friday, we remember Jesus’ death on the cross of Rome. The crosses in the chapel are draped in black, signifying it to be a day of grief. Good Friday is so named, not because Jesus’ manner of death was good, but because Jesus was faithful until the end. It may be so named because it is God’s Friday, the day in which the depth of God’s love in Jesus is revealed. The worship service is focused on the Passion Narrative according to John’s Gospel. It is a solemn worship service which includes prayers for all.
On Good Friday we remember the Christians in the Holy Land with the Good Friday Offering. The Episcopal Church gives the offerings from Good Friday to the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem as a sign of our solidarity with them, as they seek to be a life giving and healing community of faith that is often challenged by conflict. They operate schools and hospitals which serve all people.
On Saturday, April 20th, the first service of Easter is called the Great Vigil of Easter. The service begins in the darkness. We light a fire in the darkness and light the Paschal Candle which reminds us of how Jesus, the light of the world, came into the world. We read stories from the Hebrew Bible recounting how God moved to save God’s people. This year Aviana Nagar will be presented for Holy Baptism. We read the lesson from the Christian New Testament and hear the story of the Resurrection, and we have the first communion of Easter.
On Easter Sunday, April 21st we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as we do each Sunday. Yet, by participating in the Holy Week services, Easter Sunday takes on a deeper significance. We will have experienced the movement from suffering and death to new life.
You are invited to join the congregation of St. Ambrose in its worship and the Easter Egg Hunt which follows the Choral Holy Eucharist that begins at 10 am. Fe Balamiento, our Youth Minister, and the youth of St. Ambrose will be hiding the eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter Egg Hunt will begin around 11:30 am. If you plan to come, please let me know so we will have sufficient numbers of stuffed eggs for the children to discover.
I hope you will join us for any and all of our worship services for Holy Week and Easter along with the Easter Egg Hunt.
Yours,
David Y. Ota, Rector
Dear Members and Friends of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church,
Aloha! I am writing to call you to worship for the most sacred time of the Christian year, the week we call Holy Week and the Day of the Resurrection: Easter Sunday. During these eight days the church commemorates Jesus’ final week of his life, how it began with great hope and expectation that Jesus would overturn the powers of the day that oppressed the people, but instead ended in his arrest, unjust trial and crucifixion. Yet, despite these turn of events, Jesus’ execution was not the end, but a new beginning in which he would be raised to Resurrection life, and his disciples would move from living in fear to fearlessly living in love.
The services of Holy Week and Easter are the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday; Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Great Vigil of Easter with Holy Baptism and the first Communion of Easter, and the Easter Sunday services.
This Sunday, April 14th is called the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday. The chapel will be decorated with Palms reminding us of how Jesus entered into Jerusalem and the people waved palm branches to welcome him as their hoped for Messiah or Savior. On this day we walk around the church with palm crosses to reenact and remember the hopes that people had. The service also includes the reading of the Passion of Jesus according to Luke as we remember how after his entrance into Jerusalem he was betrayed, arrested, unjustly tried as guilty, and crucified.
On Thursday of Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, April 18th we remember Jesus’ last meal with his disciples in which he gave them the commandment to “do this in remembrance of me.” On this night, we remember how Jesus gave his disciples a way to remember him. Before supper he took some bread and said, “This is my body.” And at the end of supper he took a cup of wine and said, “This is my blood.” Ever since that night, Christians receive the bread and the wine as a sacramental way of receiving Jesus’ life and love into their own lives.
Also, on this night we remember how Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to model for them, how he came to be with them as a servant. On this night we also wash one another’s feet to remind ourselves that we too are called to be servants.
This year, the congregation of Island United Church of Christ, Foster City and their Interim Pastor, the Rev. Jim Mitulski will be joining us for the Maundy Thursday service.
On Friday, April 19th, Good Friday, we remember Jesus’ death on the cross of Rome. The crosses in the chapel are draped in black, signifying it to be a day of grief. Good Friday is so named, not because Jesus’ manner of death was good, but because Jesus was faithful until the end. It may be so named because it is God’s Friday, the day in which the depth of God’s love in Jesus is revealed. The worship service is focused on the Passion Narrative according to John’s Gospel. It is a solemn worship service which includes prayers for all.
On Good Friday we remember the Christians in the Holy Land with the Good Friday Offering. The Episcopal Church gives the offerings from Good Friday to the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem as a sign of our solidarity with them, as they seek to be a life giving and healing community of faith that is often challenged by conflict. They operate schools and hospitals which serve all people.
On Saturday, April 20th, the first service of Easter is called the Great Vigil of Easter. The service begins in the darkness. We light a fire in the darkness and light the Paschal Candle which reminds us of how Jesus, the light of the world, came into the world. We read stories from the Hebrew Bible recounting how God moved to save God’s people. This year Aviana Nagar will be presented for Holy Baptism. We read the lesson from the Christian New Testament and hear the story of the Resurrection, and we have the first communion of Easter.
On Easter Sunday, April 21st we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as we do each Sunday. Yet, by participating in the Holy Week services, Easter Sunday takes on a deeper significance. We will have experienced the movement from suffering and death to new life.
You are invited to join the congregation of St. Ambrose in its worship and the Easter Egg Hunt which follows the Choral Holy Eucharist that begins at 10 am. Fe Balamiento, our Youth Minister, and the youth of St. Ambrose will be hiding the eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter Egg Hunt will begin around 11:30 am. If you plan to come, please let me know so we will have sufficient numbers of stuffed eggs for the children to discover.
I hope you will join us for any and all of our worship services for Holy Week and Easter along with the Easter Egg Hunt.
Yours,
David Y. Ota, Rector
SUNDAY SERVICES
8 AM Holy Communion with Hymns
10 AM Holy Communion with Choir (nursery care is provided)
Year Round Sunday School (for ages 3 and up)
8 AM Holy Communion with Hymns
10 AM Holy Communion with Choir (nursery care is provided)
Year Round Sunday School (for ages 3 and up)
The mission of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church of Foster City is to proclaim the good news of God in Jesus Christ as we care for each other and our larger community. In the Episcopal tradition, we extend an open and inclusive invitation to all people. We care for others and the stranger, we welcome children into our family, and we serve those in need.
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"Life is short and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who walk the way with us. So be swift to love and make haste to be kind. The Blessing of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be among you always. Amen"