St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, located at 171 Closter Dock Road in Closter, New Jersey, will celebrate Holy Week with a number of services and special events.
St. Paul’s congregation will observe Maundy Thursday, April 18th, with a service of Holy Communion. The service will be held at 7:30 PM. “On Maundy Thursday, we remember Jesus’ time with His disciples in an Upper Room in the city of Jerusalem. In that room, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. Jesus gave His disciples the Lord’s Supper. Jesus spoke words of love, knowing that He would bear the cross the next morning. We also remember Jesus’ time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas, a disciple of Jesus, betrayed Jesus in that garden. Jesus was arrested and brought to trial during the night,” explains Rev. Robert Holsten, pastor of St. Paul’s
St. Paul’s will observe Good Friday, April 19th with a service of Holy Communion at 1 PM and a service of Tenebrae at 7:30 PM. “Good Friday is a sad and solemn day in the life of the Christian Church. We remember Jesus’ crucifixion on this day,” says Pastor Holsten. “We call it Good Friday because we believe that Jesus, God’s Son, died for our sins, and for the sins of the whole world. At the evening Tenebrae service, we read the Seven Last Words of Jesus, extinguishing a candle on the altar at the conclusion of each word. We sing poignant Lenten hymns, such as, ‘Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed,’ and ‘Were You There When They Crucified My Lord.’ A loud noise, the closing of a large book, at the very end of the service reminds us that Jesus’ body was sealed inside a stone tomb. People leave the Tenebrae service in quiet reverence, reflecting on Jesus’ great love for each one of us.”
St. Paul’s will celebrate Easter Sunday, April 21, with two services and Easter breakfast. A Dawn Service of Holy Communion at 7 AM will take place in St. Paul’s sanctuary. A continental Easter breakfast will follow at 8 AM in St. Paul’s Koepchen Fellowship Hall. St. Paul’s will celebrate Easter with a Family Service at 10 AM.
“Easter gives us the great joy of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus,” Pastor Holsten continues. “The Christian church celebrates the Good News that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice and raised Him from death. Because Jesus lives, God also gives us the sure hope of everlasting life.
St. Paul’s sanctuary is decorated with lilies, tulips and hyacinths. At the beginning of the service, I greet the congregation with the words, ‘Christ is risen!’ The people present joyfully respond, ‘Christ is risen indeed!’ The congregation sings favorite Easter hymns including, ‘Jesus Christ is Risen Today,’ and ‘I Know That My Redeemer Lives.’ We even put white carnations on a wooden cross, to celebrate the fact that our sins have been forgiven,” Pastor Holsten shares.
“We invite the members of the community to experience the love of Jesus in the worship services of Holy Week and Easter,” Pastor Holsten concludes. “In our Holy Week services, we celebrate three days that change our world and our lives forever.”
For further information, please contact St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at 201 768-6310.