Tonight begins three central days of the church year: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter (or the Saturday night service called the Easter Vigil). Recalling Jesus' own words that, after 3 days he will rise again (Mark 10:34), we condense these three days into one single movement. Tonight begins one long church service. 

Over these 3 days, we'll include elements that match up with what we do on Sunday morning. On Maundy Thursday, we'll confess our sins and receive forgiveness. We'll follow Jesus' example of humility and service with Pastor Marc washing the feet of anyone who comes forward. The Lord's Supper will be celebrated as well. But then, later in worship, the altar will be stripped. The candles and fabrics will be removed. The bare altar is a sign of what's to come. 

As we leave the sanctuary this morning, we'll still be in our long worship service. I won't offer a dismissal. I won't invite you to remember Jesus or the poor. Instead, our drive home and our nightly chores will happen while we are still in worship. When we brush our teeth and curl up in bed with a good book or our favorite smartphone, we'll see be in worship. And when we wake up and enjoy that morning cup of coffee, our worship continues. Wherever we find ourselves, we are still with God. Whatever we are doing, we are still in a relationship with the God who fed us, washed our feet, and was betrayed by his friend. These three days invite us to see our entire lives as an act of worship. Even tying our shoes and combing our hair is connected to God. God cares about all of us. God even cares about the very human and tiny things that we do. Tonight begins our three-day long worship. Let's see how God is even involved in our everyday.