Wholly Weak

Things are poppin' around OSLC this week, this Holy Week, this week when the other days get a whiff of greatness.
Sundays, of course, are God's day, a day we are to keep the Sabbath Wholly, to borrow a book title from Marva Dawn. Wednesdays are the unofficial Church Day Honored by Absolutely No One Anymore. Not bitter, just noticing. Regardless, Ash Wednesday kicked off the season of Lent way back in February, and the day before that is Shrove Tuesday.
But during Holy Week, Thursday, Friday and Saturday step up to bat to take their place in the divine pantheon, leaving only Monday to be a day with no redeeming value. Ever. The only day we worship on Mondays is every seven years or so when Christmas or Christmas Eve lands on its God-forsaken day.
So this week, we have Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, leading up to Easter Sunday.
Maundy Thursday (pronounced by everyone as Monday Thursday, which just seems to be slagging on Monday once again) is taken from the Latin mandatum, or commandment, because it is the day in which we remember that Christ changed everything old into something new and improved - he gave us a new commandment to love one another as God has loved us. When I was a non-traditional whipper snapper, I suggested to my internship pastor that we change the words of institution (heaven forfend!) to read, "Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when he gave a new commandment, took bread...." I said, "It's more positive!" I'm not convinced I'm wrong, but I do look back and wonder how anyone could stand me. This year OSLC has two (2!) Maundy Thursday services; one is an elaborate Seder meal, all courses and education included, for $25. It's sold out! (I sense a youth fund raiser for next year...) That's at 6. Then at 7, there's a free Maundy Thursday service in which I'm preaching. You get what you pay for. That's all I'll say about that. Though I am excited to continue the dramatic MT service that we've enjoyed for the past five years or so (has G-rod been here that long?). I'll be lucky if I don't get stoned.
Good Friday is always an outstanding service, featuring seven elders doing 2.5 minute homilies for each of the seven words on the cross. This is the Tennebrae service (that's right - the one with the loud bang.) My wife and I commemorate the death of our savior on the cross by eating Mexican. There's absolutely no significance to that, it's just something we started doing and continue to do because most great traditions are very silly.
My favorite part of Holy Week starts on Good Friday - our prayer vigil. We pray continually from noon Good Friday to noon on Easter. We used to haul people out of bed at three in the morning Fri and Sat night, but we've caved to culture and allowed people to pray in their jammies. I usually anchor the prayer team by praying right up until the sunrise service; I'll be there again, doing my text-prayers for the second year. Mostly to East Coast friends who would hopefully be up by then...
Holy Saturday, in the ancient church, was the time when new Christians were baptized, late at night, so that when they came out of the underground cavern - I know, wouldn't that be cool? - they would arise along with Jesus into new life. We have it at 6 pm. I don't know if we're going to use our new fountain or not, but it's always an awesome service. We have four baptisms slated.
And of course the wonder and majesty of Easter, the time when fasts end and celebrations begin!
By the end of Holy Week, your hard-workin' staff will be wholly weak.
Maybe I'll give up puns for Lent one year.
And there would be great rejoicing. Maybe that will be the same year the powers that be declare that along with all the other days, we'll celebrate Manic Monday.