Holy Week & Easter at Saint John’s

Saint John’s Lutheran Church in Summit invites the community to our observance of Holy Week — the heart of the Christian year. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on April 13, services will be held at 8:00 and 10:30 AM. On this day Jesus enters into Jerusalem with palms and shouts of hosanna. The 10:30 AM service begins with an outdoor palm procession. Our choir will sing the spiritual “Ride on King Jesus” followed by a poignant anthem by Kenneth Leighton, “Solus ad Victimam.”

Services on Maundy Thursday, April 17, will be held at 5:30 and 7:30 PM. On this day, we ask for God’s forgiveness and remember Jesus’ command to love one another. The 5:30 PM service is a 30-minute simplified service that will be geared to younger children to experience elements of Holy Week. At 6:00 PM a communal dinner will be served. The 7:30 PM choral service includes footwashing, Holy Communion, and stripping of the altar.

Good Friday, April 18, we gather at 12:00 PM for the traditional liturgy for the day: reading John’s Passion, the Bidding Prayer, and the Solemn Reproaches. The 7:30 PM service will reflect upon the crucifixion of Jesus and his ultimate victory through the cross with a service led by our choir. The Passion will be chanted in a setting by Tomas Luis de Victoria.

The Easter Vigil will be held on Saturday, April 19, at 7:30 PM. On this holiest night of the year, we gather outside to light the new fire, remember the story of salvation, renew baptismal promises, and celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. The Easter Vigil concludes with a festive reception.

Easter Sunday, April 20, dawns with festival liturgies at 8:00 and 10:30 AM. Come celebrate the resurrection of our Lord with music for brass, organ, and choir. We will sing favorite hymns such as “Jesus Christ is Risen Today,” “Thine is the Glory,” and “The Day of Ressurection,” along with Horatio Parker’s anthem “Light’s Glittering Morn Bedecks the Sky.” At the 10:30 AM service, we conclude our celebrations with the singing of Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah. There will be an Easter Brunch between services, 9:00 - 10:00 AM and an Easter Egg Hunt for young children beginning around 9:30 AM.

Our Easter celebrations continue with a special Organ Vespers on May 18 at 4:00 PM. Following the form of Lutheran Vespers or Evening Prayer, organ music by Scheidemann, Buxtehude, and Bach, and more featuring our Holtkamp pipe organ. Brian Harlow-Jennings, organist.

Saint John’s Lutheran Church is a welcoming congregation that has made a public declaration of our inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people and our commitment to becoming an antiracist church. For more information, visit stjohnssummit.org or call 908.273.3846. To watch livestream services, visit Saint John’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/StJohnsSummitN...