To truly appreciate the joy of Easter, it’s important to also experience the events leading up to it during Holy Week, which begins with Palm Sunday and commemorates the events of the last few days leading up to Jesus’ death, and ultimately his resurrection. As a church, we celebrate and remember those days with worship services that are powerful opportunities to grow your personal faith.

Palm Sunday

Holy Week starts on March 25 with Palm Sunday. It's the Sunday before Easter when we celebrate Jesus entering Jerusalem for the very last time, greeted by believers waving palm branches, as he begins his trip to the cross. On this Sunday, you’ll likely find children echoing this tradition by waving palm branches during worship.

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday, also known as ‘Holy Thursday,’ is a time to remember the events leading up to and immediately following the crucifixion of Jesus. We get the term ‘Maundy’ from the Latin word meaning mandate or commandment, as we remember Jesus's command to love and serve one another. We also celebrate the last supper that Jesus had with his disciples by receiving communion.

Good Friday

Good Friday is a day that proclaims God's purpose of loving and redeeming the world through the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It a ‘good’ day because, through Jesus’ death, God closed the gap between God and us. God was not making the best of a bad situation but was working out God's intention for the world — winning salvation for all people. We call it ‘good’ because we look backward at the crucifixion through the lens of Easter.

Holy Saturday

The Easter Vigil, on the evening before Easter, is the first official service of Easter. The vigil tells the story of God’s saving acts in history, culminating in the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The service celebrates God's grace through the symbols of light, word, water, and the heavenly banquet.

Join us for a new Saturday night Easter service

For the first time, HPUMC is offering a contemporary worship service on Saturday evening. This service will be identical to the ones offered in Wesley Hall on Sunday morning.

Easter Sunday

And then, of course, it all culminates on Sunday with Easter! The resurrection of Jesus is the heart and soul of what it means to be a Christian. It’s the foundation of our faith, and the only hope we have for salvation beyond death and contentment in life. Easter Sunday is when we proclaim the joyous news that Christ is risen.

We hope you'll come and join us for as many of these worship opportunities as possible, whether you’re here in person or online. We know that’s a lot of church in one week, but every single one of these services helps us to gather together as a community and journey with Jesus to the cross so that we can truly understand and fully embrace the life-changing power of the resurrected Christ. It's what Holy Week and Easter are all about.