Holy Week worship 2021
A range of resources for personal reflection, and for home or remote worship during Holy Week. Please do look through and see which ones will suit you best. For worship resources for use at any time see Worship during the coronavirus pandemic.
Journeying through Holy Week to Easter with Mark’s Gospel
Additional resources produced for home and remote worship in 2020
Journey through Holy Week
Further at-home services for Holy Week
Journeying through Holy Week to Easter with Mark’s Gospel
Written especially for Lent 2021 by the Revd Ken Howcroft, a former President of the Methodist Conference. A reading, reflections and a prayer for each day of the week, beginning with Palm Sunday and ending on Easter Sunday. In his introductory notes, Ken writes:
“The important thing about Holy Week is that it is holy. In it, time and life are set apart for the exclusive use of God, and become charged with God’s love and grace. To set them apart we have to ask the vital questions “Where is God in the mess of life all around us?” and “What does God want for us and want of us in it all?”. Those questions are particularly strong as we face the chaos, pain and uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. They were also the questions facing Jesus and his followers in the week of the cross and the empty tomb.”
Introduction: Word doc. or PDF
Palm Sunday: Word doc. or PDF
Monday: Word doc. or PDF
Tuesday: Word doc. or PDF
Wednesday: Word doc. or PDF
Maundy Thursday: Word doc. or PDF
Good Friday: Word doc. or PDF
Holy Saturday: Word doc. or PDF
Easter Sunday: Word doc. or PDF
For a musical reflection to return to daily, consider using Anne Sardeson's song based on Mark's account of the Holy Week events: This week the cry goes "Hosanna" then "die".
On Holy Saturday, you may also find Alan Lewis's thoughts on the significance of this "in-between day" helpful: Avoiding Holy Saturday.
Journey through Holy Week
A series of short worship services based on the seven final statements attributed to Jesus during his final hours on earth. Featuring images from the Methodist Modern Art Collection (MMAC), the series includes readings, hymns to read or sing, and questions for reflection.
Holy Week story with five senses is a simple and effective way of reflecting on Easter week themes in ways that will appeal to different age groups and to those for whom too many words can be unhelpful. Produced by Augustine United Church, Edinburgh, and reproduced with permission.
Also see :
Paintings, Poems and Prayers for Holy Week 2020 produced for Holy Week 2020 by the Methodist Modern Art Collection.
Approaching Easter - suggestions from Singing the Faith
Further at-home services for Holy Week
In this short act of worship, we pray that God’s purposes may be fulfilled in us, even though we cannot at this time gather at the Lord’s Table.
Suggestions for adapting the traditional Methodist Love Feast for Maundy Thursday.
The Way of the Cross, also known as The Stations of the Cross, is offered here as a meditation on Jesus' suffering and death on the cross. We are enabled to follow in his footsteps and reflect on the implications of his words for us in our time.
A service of Light and Darkness
A simple service at home to reflect on the account of Jesus’ passion. Best suited to the evening or the night, and suggesting the use of candles.
Guidance for Methodist people concerning Anti Semitism and the service for Good Friday