Holy Week is the week leading up to Easter Sunday and includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. You are invited to join us here at Bethlehem for our worship services throughout the week either in person in our Worship Center or online . Below, you can find information pertaining to our Holy Week events including links to our services as well as bulletins for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday when they are available. (Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday bulletins will be available on the normal Sunday Worship Service Page).

Why do we have a week called “Holy Week”?

Why would we refer to a week as being holy? The word “holy” means “set apart.” That’s why we call the Bible “holy.” It isn’t just any book. It is set apart from all other books because it is God’s living Word given to us for our salvation! The same goes for Holy Week. This week is set apart from all other weeks because this is the week in the Church Year when follow Jesus through His final days on earth and hear again of the sacrifice He was willing to make on our behave to pay for our sins with His life and win for us salvation!

Palm Sunday – April 2, 2022

The Sunday before Jesus was crucified by the people, they honored and adored Him as their Lord and king with palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna!” We remember this as the beginning of Christ’s bitter walk to the cross.

Why did the people honor and adore Jesus on Palm Sunday and then kill Him on Good Friday?

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people began to praise and honor Him as their king. They believed Him to be a powerful leader who would overthrow the Roman government and restore Israel. When Jesus did not do this as they expected, the people wanted Him crucified. But Jesus revealed Himself as our humble King who came with a much bigger task. He’s a king who came to die for the sins of all people. Wow! What a King!

Maundy Thursday – April 6, 2022

The Thursday before Jesus was crucified He sat in the Upper Room with His disciples and shared a meal with them, His last before His death and resurrection. It is here that Jesus institutes the sacrament of Holy Communion that we still celebrate today, where God meets us with His true presence in the bread and wine, and offers us forgiveness.

This is also the day that Jesus, the King of the Universe, got down on His knees, and washed His disciples’ feet. By performing this act of humility (which only the lowest of servants would do) Jesus gives us an example of the kind of humility and service we are to show each other and the world.

SEDER MEAL: This year, the morning service will be a Seder Meal walkthrough in the Community Center Starting at 11:30am.

NOTE: Only the 7:00pm service is Live Streamed.

Good Friday – April 7, 2022

It seems strange to call the day that Jesus was crucified “good”. It doesn’t feel very good knowing that because of us, Jesus had to go through all of those horrible things and then pay the ultimate price, His very life, up on the cross. But that is exactly why it is good! Jesus, who never sinned, paid the penalty for our sins and made us right with God.

Our Good Friday Services reflect the sobering realization that it was our sins that put Jesus on that cross. The service is dark, and quiet, and somber. We leave the Worship Center without sound, but not without hope! Because we know what happened after three days!

NOTE: Only the 8:00pm Service is Live Streamed

Easter Sunday (Resurrection Day) – April 9, 2022

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Hallelujah! God’s promise to save His people is fulfilled and we celebrate this day, reveling in God’s grace, mercy, and victory over sin, death, and the devil. For not even death can win over our King! We lift our voices together in shouts of “Hallelujah!” to our Redeemer and Lord, Jesus Christ.