
Holy Week 2024 - Living a Faithful Life
Holy Week 2024: Monday 25 March to Sunday 31 March
You are invited to join any or all of the Holy Week services at Trinity Methodist Church, on the days that work for you, as we journey with Jesus to the cross. We are open to all.
Our theme for Holy Week 2024, LIVING A FAITHFUL LIFE, will prepare us for both Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Be intentional about not being left out, let’s walk together until we see this journey through. Be there with us as we will be reminded of the active and self giving love of Jesus and the Power of Easter.
Experience the Prayer Chapel as a special place of meditation for Holy Week. You may pray here at any time of day or night.
You can find the live videos of our services on our YouTube channel at the advertised time. The videos will remain on our channel here.
Monday 25 March - Living A Faithful Life
Monday 25 March – ‘Living a Faithful Life’
9.30am (also livestreamed) | 6.30pm
Readings: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 12:1-11
All four gospels have an account of a woman anointing Jesus. Jesus spent a night at Bethany, and here we see Mary’s costly devotion to Jesus. She took pure nard, an expensive perfume, and poured it on Jesus’ feet. This was an unusual act, because normally it was poured on the head, and because she used her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet, while a respectable woman did not unbind her hair in public. Further, Mary’s act showed humility because it was a servant’s work to attend to the feet.
On this day we will explore how living a faithful life is costly, and how it takes selflessness and humility to serve God.
Tuesday 26 March - Call To Discipleship
Tuesday 26 March – ‘Call to Discipleship’
9.30am (also livestreamed) | 6.30pm
Readings: Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 12:20-36
For the third time in this season of Lent we have to read John 12. To avoid repetition, let’s focus on the Greeks’ request to see Jesus. Jesus’ discourse that follows, is in part a response to this request. Any sermon on the Gospel of John has this as its goal: the very real presence of Jesus that needs to be experienced by all our human senses. Here it is less about the function of Jesus’ death, but more about the possibility of what the disciples will do when Jesus is gone. They will do greater things than these (John 14:12). So much of this last discourse from Jesus is about discipleship. This was the last time the world will hear Jesus’ words, darkness was going to overtake. Jesus told his disciples and the Jews to believe in the light. If you want to see Jesus, the time is now.
Today we will examine what the call to discipleship means to us. Today. Here.
Wednesday 26 March - Living In God's Light
Wednesday 26 March – ‘Living in God’s Light’
9.30am (also livestreamed) | 6.30pm
Readings: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 70; Hebrews 12:1-3; John 13:21-32
Though Jesus knew long before that one of the disciples would betray him, Jesus was grieved by the betrayal of a friend. It looks like other disciples had no clue of what Judas was going to do. The disciples’ astonishment shows that Judas had concealed his contacts with the high priests. None of the disciples suspected him, but all seem to have thought that the betrayal would be involuntary. Mark 14:19 says, “They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not me”. I consider the part where Jesus says, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish”, the critical moment. Jesus was answering the question, “Lord, who is it?” He dipped the piece of bread and gave it to Judas. This seems to have been a final appeal, which Judas did not accept. In all this, Jesus shows that he is in control. He says, “What you are about to do, do it quickly”. Jesus would die as he directed, not as his opponents determined.
Today’s story offers us new opportunities to repent, and live in God’s light.
Maundy Thursday 27 March - Tenebrae: 'Replicate Christ'
Maundy Thursday 27 March | Tenebrae – ‘Replicate Christ’
9.30am (also livestreamed) | 6.30pm | 9.00pm Section Night Vigil
Readings: Exodus 12:1-4, 5-10, 11-14; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35
John provides most of our information about what our Lord said to his disciples on that night in the Upper Room, especially Jesus’ emphasis on love. Surrounded by his disciples, including Judas who later betrayed Jesus, and Peter who later denied Jesus, Jesus showed control. Verse 2 says, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God”. This emphasises the fulfilment of God’s plan.
Jesus got up from the meal and began to do a menial task normally performed by a servant – he washed his disciples feet. On this occasion there was no servant and no one volunteered to do it. Jesus’ action was during the meal, not upon arrival, done deliberately to emphasise a point. It was a lesson in humility, but it also set forth the principle of selfless service that was to soon be exemplified in the cross. For us this Christ provides an example of humble service. Christians should be willing to perform menial services for one another, that’s a new command.
At our moving ‘service of shadows’, we will be challenged to replicate Christ, as love is the distinguishing mark of Christ’s followers.
Good Friday 29 March - 'Active and Self-Giving Love'
Friday 29 March | Good Friday – ‘Active and Self-Giving Love’
9.30am (also livestreamed) | 11.30am Section Good Friday
Readings: Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; John 18:1 to 19:42
One of the most debated questions is, “why did Jesus die?”, or, “who killed Jesus?” It is important to understand that Jesus knew all that was going to happen to him, he was not taken by surprise. Twice Jesus had made the arresting party say plainly that he was the one they wanted. The cup of suffering was, according to Jesus, given to him by his Father. God was in control. None of the chief priests were on Jesus’ side, so John hints that a fair trial could not be expected from Caiphas, who had already said that putting Jesus to death was expedient. As if that was not enough, Peter didn’t make it easier for Jesus. He denied him. Three times he said “no” instead of “yes”. Jews had no charge to lay on Jesus, there was also no Roman charge, Roman trial, or any right to persecute anyone. They were looking for an execution, not a fair trial.
Pilate also didn’t find a basis for a charge against Jesus, so he took Jesus and had him flogged. He hoped flogging would satisfy the Jews and enable him to free Jesus. Through it all, there was no fault found in Jesus. Pilate tried to set Jesus free but the friends of Caeser wanted him crucified. Pilate also called Jesus a King, although he did not mean the expression seriously, but John did. Did Jesus have power to save himself from being killed? Yes.
On this day we see that Jesus had power to opt out, but he didn’t. There is no greater active and self-giving love than this.
Holy Saturday 30 March - 'Remembering Faithful Lives'
Saturday 30 March – ‘Remembering Faithful Lives’
6.30pm | 9.00pm Section Remembrance and Night Vigil
Readings: Hebrews 11
The writer of Hebrews 11 takes us on a tour of many names of people who have died and who shine as incredible examples of faithful lives. In this service we will remember our loved ones by name, and also those who have gone before us who can inspire us in our living for God’s Kingdom.
We invite you to remember a loved one who has died, and light a candle. You need to be physically present to light the candle.
Registration to have the name of your loved-one included on the screen is already closed, but you can still attend the service.
Appeal for flowers for Remembrance service and Easter Sunday:
Please bring a colourful or green pot plant to the church on Saturday 30th March between 8.00am and 10.00am. These plants will be used to decorate the church for the Remembrance service and for Easter Sunday, and will be delivered after Easter to Trinity members who have recently been bereaved. This is a wonderful way that you can participate in sharing Easter Resurrection Joy.
Due to the experiential and personal nature of this service, there will be no livestream or video.
Easter Sunday 31 March - Resurrection: 'The Power of Easter'
Sunday 31 March | Resurrection Sunday – ‘The Power of Easter’
6.00am – Fraternal Sunrise Service (Kings School, Robin Hills) | 7.30am | 9.30am (also livestreamed) | NO 11.30am Service | 6.30pm
Readings: Psalm 31:9-16; Mark 16:1-8
Sabbath was over. Embalming was not practiced by the Jews, but spices were bought as an act of devotion and love. Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome had no expectation of Jesus’ resurrection. In his resurrection, Jesus is declared to be the Son of God with power.
Jesus’ story did not end in hopelessness, It reflected a hope in which people face life with a defiance of hopelessness. The authorities killed Jesus. That should have been the end, but now the stone has been rolled away. There is no Jesus in the tomb. He has risen!
The resurrection is a response to injustice, defeat, failure, brokenness, and death. It does not seek peace by denying the almost crushing realities of pain and injustice in our world, but reaches its conclusion having passed through those shadows of death or at least having taken them seriously. It is not a naive optimism, but ultimately a decision to live and not die. Christian faith has at its heart a defiance of hopelessness, symbolised by the story of Easter. As God raised Jesus, as Jesus’ future is in God’s being, so also faith asserts the sufficiency of the one detail of the future beyond death to which it can hold fast: God, the God of compassion. This is the God also who makes the journey with us when we dare to face the realities of pain and suffering, and dare to share that compassion and God’s life in the world.
The resurrection of Jesus tells us something about God, about ourselves and the purpose of our lives, and the power of Easter.