Concerning Coronavirus and Holy Week

Third Pastoral Letter to Holy Trinity
concerning Coronavirus and Holy Week

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Greetings Holy Trinity family,
 
These are the times which try men’s souls. So wrote Thomas Pain in the early days of the American Revolution. But Thomas Pain had nothing on Coronavirus.
 
This has been a trying time for our church fellowship. Not being able to gather together on Sunday is not easy for any of us, least of all your leadership who yearn to serve you in public worship. Many of you have expressed to me a similar longing to come together, and we’ve only had to miss one Sunday together so far!
 
It seems we are going to have to go on longing for a little while longer.
 
Last week, as you know, Governor Whitmer issued an executive order to all Michiganders to shelter-in-place until the end of the day April 13. That is the day after Easter Sunday. The governor’s order effectively decided for us whether or not we would be able to gather publicly for Holy Week. We will not.
 
By the grace of God, the order does provide an exemption for churches in the conducting of public worship. That means we have the freedom to live stream our services to you from the church as we did last Sunday, and we will. But with the order as it stands, it no longer seems prudent for the clergy to bring Holy Communion to peoples’ homes as we did last week. That means our Sunday worship will be according to the Office of Morning Prayer for the time being. Our eventual return to Holy Communion will be all the more sweet.
 
The Morning Office is a historic service, one that was the norm on Sundays for most Anglicans historically, and one which our bishop recently reminded all his clergy is “just as Anglican” as the liturgy of Holy Communion. Indeed, the Morning and Evening offices are treasures of our tradition, reflecting as they do a truly unique blend of ancient catholic order and reformed emphasis on the Word. Some of our Prayer Book’s most treasured prayers are native to these services, and they deserve our honor, reverence, and attention.
 
With regards to Holy Week itself, the leadership of the parish has decided to offer to you what we can of our annual services, and a little more besides. We will be conducting virtual services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, as we have done these past years. They will be familiar to you, with a few differences here and there necessitated by our digital medium. But I dare say you can experience the drama of Holy Week by them if you chose to.
 
In addition to these, to compensate for our inability to be together, we will also offer Evening Prayer Monday through Wednesday in Holy Week. Within our beloved Prayer Book itself, there are in fact readings offered for every day of Holy Week which we have historically not taken advantage of at Holy Trinity. We will hear the full passion accounts in all four of the Gospels. This is surely a poignant way to mark the solemnity of the time. I commend these daily services to you as a meet and right extra discipline for the holiest week of the year.
 
The Holy Week schedule is as follows (all via Zoom)

• Palm Sunday: Liturgy of the Palms and Morning Prayer, 10:30 am
• Holy Monday
  • Morning Prayer, 8:00 am
  • Mid-Day Prayer, 12:30 pm (hosted by Bishop Julian)
  • Evening Prayer, 8:00 pm
• Holy Tuesday:
  • Mid-Day Prayer, 12:30 pm (hosted by Bishop Julian)
  • Evening Prayer, 8:00 pm
• Holy Wednesday:
  • Morning Prayer, 8:00 am
  • Mid-Day Prayer, 12:30 pm (hosted by Bishop Julian)
  • Evening Prayer, 8:00 pm
• Maundy Thursday:
  • Mid-Day Prayer, 12:30 pm (hosted by Bishop Julian)
  • Evening Prayer with Stripping of the Altar, 8:00 pm
• Good Friday:
  • Morning Prayer, 8:00 am
  • Office of Good Friday with Litany, 12:00 noon
  • Stations of the Cross, 5:30 pm
• Holy Saturday
  • Mid-Day Prayer, 12:30 pm (hosted by Bishop Julian)
  • Vigil Office with Renewal of Baptismal Vows and Litany, 8:00 pm

 
Later service times are designed to make things easier for households with children. Fr. Tim is preparing some simpler offices for parents to use with their children earlier in the day on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, so our youngest saints are not left out.
 
At this time, we are not fully sure when we will be allowed to resume our worship in person. Easter Day itself will be celebrated virtually. For that reason, we will postpone our annual parish tradition of singing the Alleluia Chorus until that Sunday when we can gather together again. It will be a grand monument to our joyful reunion.
 
I conclude with this: coronavirus makes not a lick of difference to the victory of our God in Jesus Christ. While we don’t celebrate Easter the way we would like to, we celebrate just the same, because no power in this world can put Jesus back in the grave. Even in a pandemic, we sing our Easter hymn—alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!—for the Lord is risen indeed. In this strange time, I implore you to continue to show forth your true heavenly citizenship by worship, self-denial, and love of neighbor. Let’s show this world that God’s people are not easily brought low, for our King lives and reigns, with the Father and Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
 
Blessings to you all in Jesus,
Adam+

The Rev. Adam D. Rick, Th.M.
Rector, Holy Trinity Parish

Please see the Second Pastoral Letter from March 18 if you haven't already.