St. Stephen's Lutheran Church

This week stands at the center of our common life as Christians. These days of entering into the drama of the cross are a way to allow God's word to reawaken us to the power and significance of the Passion story. All services will be live-streamed on our YouTube channel here.

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Palm Sunday April 6 at 9:30 am

The service begins with the blessing of the palms and Jesus’ triumphal, regal entrance into Jerusalem. The focus then shifts to the events that follow “the night in which he was betrayed” as we hear the story of Jesus’ Passion dramatically read from the Gospel of Matthew.

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Maundy Thursday April 6 at 7 pm

Holy Thursday is also called Maundy Thursday from the Latin word “mandatum” (which means “command”) because on this night Jesus gave his disciples a new command, “that you love one another, even as I have loved you.” On this “night in which he was betrayed” when Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, we also will “do this for the remembrance of him.” The service will include (optional) food washing and will end with the reading of a penitential psalm, Psalm 51, as the altar is stripped in preparation for Good Friday and Easter.

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Good Friday April 7 at 7 pm

Service of Tennebrae

TENNEBRAE is a Latin word meaning "shadows" or "darkness." The dramatic feature of this service is the gradual extinguishing of all the lights except the Christ candle. This candle is removed at the end of the service, symbolizing the apparent victory of the powers of darkness when our Lord dies on the cross. A loud noise is made, suggesting the earthquake of the Passion narrative. Restoring the Christ candle to its place foreshadows the Resurrection.

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Easter Sunday April 9 at 9:30 am

Come celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus!

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