Triduum: experiencing the three holiest days of the church year
Better understanding Easter by walking with Jesus
Just over six weeks ago we gathered with our Methodist friends to begin the journey to Easter. At our Ash Wednesday worship service I invited the members of our two churches to take on a Lenten discipline. Some people chose to give up things that distract them from God, others chose to take on something that would bring them closer to Christ. For many of us that included extra time in prayer guided by the Leaning In, Letting Go devotional written by Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin. Her writing provided the devotional thoughts for many of our church meetings and the weekly Tuesday morning prayer group for the past month and a half.
Whatever discipline you chose, the season of Lent is coming to an end. It is my prayer that this time has allowed you to focus on your prayer life, dig deeper into Scripture, and get closer to Jesus. Whether you have successfully stuck with your discipline or not, there is still one final step on the Lenten journey that I would like to invite you to take.
Today is the start of a three day period known as the Triduumm. Triduumm is Latin for “Three Days.” It marks the final three days of Holy Week, including Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Vigil Saturday. Throughout the history of the church Christians have taken this time to remember Jesus’ last supper with his disciples, his death on the cross, and the watch that his followers kept outside his tomb. This time is marked with special services and has traditionally been a time of prayer and fasting.
Our congregation is going to be marking this time with three special services. Tonight we will remember the Passover meal that Christ ate in the upper room. Friday night we will have a Tenebrae service where we slowly extinguish candles as we listen to the passion narrative. Tenebrae is a Latin word that means “shadows.” The service marks the shadow of death as it comes into our world.
An ancient Christian tradition
Throughout the centuries Christians have kept a prayer vigil outside the church on Saturday while they waited for the resurrection on Easter morning. Traditionally this included a watchman’s fire and a retelling of the entire history of God’s saving actions throughout the Old Testament. These stories were designed to remind grieving disciples of God’s faithfulness and to give them confidence in the promise of Christ’s power over the grave. The climax of this overnight service came as the sun rose early on Easter morning.
Although we do not have a Saturday night corporate service, members of the congregation are encouraged to spend extra time in expectant prayer preparing themselves for Christ’s return. On Sunday morning we will symbolically bring our personal vigils to a close with our sunrise service. We will gather outside in the beauty of God’s creation for an encounter with our risen savior, just as Christ’s followers met him in the garden that first Easter morning.
An invitation to see firsthand
If you have not had a chance to participate in our Triduum services in the past, I invite you to give it a try this year. The celebration of Easter is far more meaningful after walking with Jesus on last few steps of his earthly journey. Instead of going straight from the celebration of his triumphal entry on Palm Sunday to his resurrection, it is important to spend time remembering his suffering and death. This helps us to remember just how much of a cost was paid in order to assert God’s power over the brokenness of this world. Such knowledge makes the reality of our redemption that much more meaningful.
Please join us tonight, tomorrow, and early Sunday morning, as we experience the mystery, misery, and majesty of the Triduum, the three holiest days of the Christian year.
