In the United Methodist Church (UMC), Holy Week is a week of observances and services commemorating Jesus’ suffering and death, and to prepare for the celebration of Easter Sunday, when Christians celebrate Jesus’ resurrection
Holy Week events
Palm Sunday: A day of worship that commemorates Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It’s also known as Passion Sunday.
Spy Wednesday: In the Methodist tradition, Spy Wednesday is a day of meditation and prayer that commemorates Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. The day is also known as Holy Wednesday.
Maundy Thursday: Maundy Thursday commemorates Jesus’ Last Supper, including the foot washing and institution of the Eucharist, emphasizing service and love.
Good Friday: Good Friday is a day of prayer and reflection on the crucifixion of Jesus.
The Fifth Sunday in Lent the sermon title is The Longest Mile. The scripture is Luke 18:31-34.
There is a lot of material and commentary on the last week of Jesus’ life. However, there has not been much written from
the perspective of the week or two before Palm Sunday, which is the beginning of Holy Week.
It has intrigued me to consider what might have been running through the mind of Jesus and the Disciples as they approached that eventful and fateful last week.
While researching for this sermon, I ran across a march by Emil Breitenfeld entitled “Last Long Mile.” Breitenfeld was a Lieutenant in World War I
and wrote the march before leaving the Army in 1919 and moving to California where he became a composer and piano player for silent movies.
He is chiefly known as the father of Paul Desmond (his stage name),
the alto saxophone player in the Dave Brubeck jazz ensemble, and composer of “Take Five,” the best selling jazz tune of all time.
The fifth Sunday of Lent in the United Methodist Church (UMC) is a time to reflect on the death of a loved one, and to consider how to find hope and transformation in God. It’s also the beginning of Passiontide, a deeper time of Lent.
The “Fourth Sunday of Lent” is also known as “Laetare Sunday,” which means “Rejoice” in Latin, signifying a day of slightly more joyful celebration during the otherwise penitential season of Lent, marking the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.
In the United Methodist Church (UMC), the “Second Sunday of Lent” signifies the Sunday during the Lenten season where the focus is on the biblical story of Jesus’ Transfiguration, typically read from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, or Luke, highlighting Jesus’ divine glory and serving as a glimpse of his future resurrection.
This Sunday March 16th Second Sunday in Lent the sermon title is I Know Where I’m Going. The scripture is I Corinthians 15:42-53.
The theme of the sermon is Heaven (and going there). The scripture is from Paul’s first surviving letter to the church in Corinth, chapter 15, verses 42-53. It represents the foundation statement about eternity for a Christian.
