From its earliest recorded observances, the Christian church has celebrated Holy Week by fasting. And, while many of us might not be planning to refrain from meat or give up work this Holy Week, our hope and prayer at Kairos during Holy Week remains the exact same as it was for our brothers and sisters of the early church. I believe Holy Week is a liturgical invitation to “fast” from distraction and be present with our lives (our time, thoughts, emotions, prayers and worship) as we remember and engage in Jesus’ journey to the cross.
Therefore, as I run through some of what our Kairos community is planning for next week, I hope you don’t see these things as a buffet to simply enjoy or events to clutter your already busy calendar. Instead, our prayer is that each of these gatherings allows us to fast in some small way from being absorbed in the story of the world so we might be open to hearing and following the story of Jesus.
Palm Sunday – This coming Sunday, worship will include a traditional Palm Sunday processional where everyone from preschool age children to our oldest adults will gather together to sing and proclaim: Jesus has entered Jerusalem and our lives to be our savior.
Maundy Thursday – On March 29th from 7:30-9:00 pm, we will gather in homes across Atlanta to follow in the disciples footsteps and participate in the Last Supper. We will have desert, and after sharing some conversation, we will share the sacrament of communion together. More details and sign up can be found here.
Good Friday – In order to ground ourselves in the difficult, painful reality of the cross and our need for it, we will have a Good Friday service at noon in the Kairos sanctuary. Childcare will be available for kids 5 and under.
Easter Prayer Vigil – Just as Jesus asked his disciples to pray in the garden of Gethsemane, we believe to engage Holy Week faithfully we must be a people of prayer. Through the leadership of the Kairos prayer team, Kairos is having a prayer vigil in the days leading up to Easter. We are asking people to sign up for one-hour time slots. Each person will be provided with guidance and helpful prompts and can choose to spend their hour in whatever location is convenient. For more information and to sign up click here.
Easter Egg Hunt – One of the gifts of being on this side of the resurrection is, even in Lent, we can still enjoy one another! Nothing says that better than an Easter Egg Hunt! This year, we have invited Bethesda Church (who shares our space) to join us at the Kairos building on Saturday, March 31st, from 3:00-4:30 pm. We will begin with the hunt for 2’s and younger at 3:15 pm, followed in quick succession by hunts for preschoolers and for elementary children. We will also pack 15 lunches for Fulton County children who will be food-challenged during the spring break week when they do not receive school breakfasts and lunches.
Finally, as we have offered all of Lent, we hope many of you will continue to lift up our Lenten series prayer for faithful vision and desire around our money and feel invited to engage the daily scriptures that can be found in the order of service or via text message. In all this, our primary desire is that we would be a people who show up for worship on Sunday, April 1st needing good news, longing for resurrection, and hoping for Easter. And I think I speak for all of our staff and Leadership Team when I say we are so grateful to have a community of people like Kairos to journey toward this kind of faith together.
