Worshipping through Holy Week and Easter course
Holy Week and Easter has a distinct liturgical ‘shape’, with a bundle of intertwining themes, a direction of travel, some ‘set piece’ liturgical moments, and lots of opportunities for imaginative liturgy, worship and teaching. During our time together on this day course we will remind ourselves of some of the history and ecclesiology that has led us to the set of liturgies that we have inherited in the Church of England today, have the opportunity to explore the ‘key’ moments of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day, and also give some thought to the intervening moments, particularly the early days of Holy Week, and the quandary of what we call Holy Saturday but that the rest of the world is convinced is ‘Easter Saturday’!
This course takes place ten days into Lent, and so I will prepare a day which will be appropriate for those who haven’t put their minds fully to what they are going to do in Holy Week yet, but will also be useful to those who have already put much of their prep in place. Input, discussion and sharing of experience, together with the opportunity to worship together.
Canon Dr Tom Clammer OC is a freelance theological educator and liturgist. His 2021 book ‘Crowning the Year’ contains a chapter exploring Holy Week and Easter in the worshipping context. He has served as a parish priest in suburban and rural contexts, as well as in cathedral ministry. He is a professed brother, and the novice master, of the Anglican Order of Cistercians. He is convinced of the transforming power of good worship and liturgy, and of the importance of attentiveness to context.
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