RevGal Friday Five: Holy Week, Batman!

Reverendmother posts this on the RevGals site: Well, the Clergy Superbowl is almost upon us, and so, I offer up this Friday Five (with apologies for the irreverent title):

1. Will this Sunday be Palms only, Passion only, or hyphenated? Palms and Passion, both! But actually in place of the congregation reading the Passion Gospel, and rather than me (priest) offering a homily - our kids have written meditations and prayers for the Stations of the Cross and they have done artwork (or performing arts pieces) for each of the stations. Groups of parishioners will walk the stations, led by a child guide, during the section of the service normally designated for Gospel and sermon....it should be very cool...and this was the kids idea....

2. Maundy Thursday Footwashing: Discuss. Love the footwashing. I always get a pedicure first, red toe nails...and I just love it. Sometimes I even stay bare foot through the rest of the service, or until the peace, which comes just before the Eucharist. (Then I step out to really wash my hands)....Of course I was a massage therapist before ordination and feet were always one of my favorite to have worked on....and to work on...true some people have stinky feet, but I just deal...

3. Share a particularly meaningful Good Friday worship experience. The choir singing the Gospel, the whole thing, very powerful. Followed by men only singing "Were you there"....

4. Easter Sunrise Services--choose one:a) "Resurrection tradition par excellence!"b) "Eh. As long as it's sunrise with coffee, I can live with it."c) "[Yawn] Can't Jesus stay in the tomb just five more minutes, Mom?!?" I'm at church long before the kids (I have an 8am....kids show up for the 10, and usually late...think about the priest kids coming in late for Easter - and we live next door...) - so for them it is definitely, just five more...For me, Easter Day is easy, following the three days of the Triduum (Maundy Thu, Good Fri, Great Vigil) just a more festive Sunday service. No sunrise stuff.

5. Complete this sentence: It just isn't Easter without...Bonus: Any Easter Vigil aficionados out there? Please share. I make one huge booklet for the Triduum, that includes all the components for the worship services for Maundy Thu, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil, in an effort to really help people remember that these are one service over three days....plus we share these services with smaller church down the street - we go to their church for supper and Maundy Thur service, they come to our church for Good Fri, and we do our own Vigil. Also, we do a fab Garden of Gethsemane prayer vigil in our chapel - huge loaf of home baked bread, big cruet of wine, loads of flowers, candles, and people sign up to pray all night, (well in one hour segments)....

But for me, it just isn't Easter without jelly beans....good ones...none of the yucky tasting ones