Holy Week Guide
Central Baptist Church North Little Rock, Arkansas
April 5-12, 2020
“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” (Matthew 28:6)
Dear Central Family,
This is a Holy Week like none other. We will be observing it while practicing what is being called “social” or “physical distancing.” That is, we will not be together in the sanctuary during these services as we have been in years past.
This is, seen from a certain perspective, frustrating and saddening. We love Holy Week at Central Baptist and these yearly observances never fail to encourage and inspire.
Seen from another perspective, however, there is something exhilarating about this, something fitting even. By which we mean this: the season of Easter is the season in which we remember that no matter how dark the night, no matter how bleak the forecast, no matter how dire the news, God finds a way! The light still shines in the darkness. And guess what? The tomb is still empty!
What we have lost in physical proximity, we gain in hope and anticipation. Distance is not defeat and “pandemic” is not the word that wins. “Jesus” is. So take heart, Central Baptist! Come and worship! The Son rises.
Wyman Richardson Kasey Earl Pastor Minister of Music & Worship
Palm Sunday, April 5 10:15 a.m.
Monday, April 6 Holy Monday - 12:10–12:50 p.m.
Tuesday, April 7 Holy Tuesday - 12:10–12:50 p.m.
Wednesday, April 8 Holy Wednesday - 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 9 Maundy Thursday - 6:00 p.m.
Friday, April 10 Good Friday - 6:00 p.m.
Easter Sunday, April 12 10:15 (Worship)
Palm Sunday Sunday, April 5 10:15 a.m. Morning Worship
In this year’s Holy Week guide, we will be providing you with a number of images of ancient Christian symbols. We begin with the symbol of “the staurogram,” pictured above. Historian Larry Hurtado wrote the following in Biblical Archaeological Review:
In Greek, the language of the early church, the capital tau, or T, looks pretty much like our T. The capital rho, or R, however, is written like our P. If you superimpose the two letters, it looks something like this: . The earliest Christian uses of this tau-rho combination make it what is called a staurogram. In Greek the verb to “crucify” is stauroō; a “cross” is a stauros. In scholarly terms a combination of letters like this is called a compendium, a monogram-like device, in this case (in the earliest Christian uses) producing a pictographic representation of a crucified figure hanging on a cross—used in the Greek words for “crucify” and “cross.”
Welcome and Prayer Wyman Richardson
Worship Songs “Come to the Water” “Our God Saves”
Holy Week Congregational Reading of 1 Corinthians 15 The leader will read the light print and the congregation will respond in unison with the bold print.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
Worship Songs “We Believe” “All I Have is Christ”
Message “Lowly, but Then with Strength” Mark 13:32-37
(Two examples staurograms in early Christian manuscripts.)
Holy Monday Prayer Service Monday, April 6 12:10 p.m.
In some Christian art we find a surprising symbol: the pelican! Why? Because, as The Durham World Heritage Site explains:
The pelican was believed to pierce its own breast with its beak and feed its young of its blood. It became a symbol of Christ sacrificing himself for man – and because of this was frequently represented in Christian art. The belief probably came about because of the pelican’s red-tipped beak and very white feathers, and because long-beaked birds…are often to be found standing with their beaks resting on their breasts. In addition, the Dalmatian pelican's pouch turns red during the breeding season.
Video “No Other King”
Welcome Laurie Milholland
Holy Week Congregational Reading of 1 Corinthians 15 The leader will read the light print and the congregation will respond in unison with the bold print.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.
15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.
Worship in Song “Open the Eyes of My Heart”
Silent Prayer Before the Holiness of God Read the Passage from Isaiah 6 & the comments of R.C. Sproul. Take some time in silent prayer and thank God for His holiness.
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in
the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
R.C. Sproul writes (in his book The Holiness of God):
Only once in sacred Scripture is an attribute of God elevated to the third degree. Only once is a characteristic of God mentioned three times in succession. The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. Not that He is merely holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. The Bible never says that God is love, love, love; or mercy, mercy, mercy; or wrath, wrath, wrath; or justice, justice, justice. It does say that He is holy, holy, holy, that the whole earth is full of His glory.
The Naming of Requests and Prayer Wherever you are right now, take a moment and name your prayer requests aloud. If you are at work, perhaps speak them softly. Name as many as you would like. Then Pastor Wyman will lead us in reading Psalm 142 (below) and prayer.
1 With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3 When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul. 5 I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me! 7 Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
Worship in Song “God of Angel Armies”
Directed Prayer Pastor Wyman will lead in a time of directed prayer.
Closing Chorus “This is Amazing Grace”
Silent Prayer Concerning God Our Refuge Read Psalm 32 and give thanks to God, our hiding place.
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. 7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah
Holy Tuesday Prayer Service Tuesday, April 7 12:10 p.m.
Here is an ancient Christian symbol one may still see in stained glass and Christian iconography today: the chi rho. Ralph Wilson explains:
Chi and Rho are the first two letters (ΧΡ) of "Christ" in Greek ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ (Christos). Sometimes it is called the Monogram of Christ or Chrismon or Labarum. While it was used very early by persecuted Christians in the catacombs, when Constantine I was struggling to become emperor, he used the symbol at the front of his armies and was victorious.
Worship Song “Old Rugged Cross” “O Praise the Name”
Welcome Randal Ballew
Holy Week Congregational Reading of 1 Corinthians 15 The leader will read the light print and the congregation will respond in unison with the bold print.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. Prayer before the Silence of God
Prayers in the Silence of God At times it seems that God is silent. But is He really? Have you ever struggled with this? Are you struggling with this now? Read the lyrics to Andrew Peterson’s song, “The Silence of God” while Kasey Earl sings it. Then enter into a time of silent prayer, asking God to speak to you and comfort you.
It’s enough to drive a man crazy; it’ll break a man’s faith It’s enough to make him wonder if he’s ever been sane When he’s bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod And the heaven’s only answer is the silence of God
It’ll shake a man’s timbers when he loses his heart When he has to remember what broke him apart This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God
And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they’ve got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross Then what about the times when even followers get lost? ‘Cause we all get lost sometimes There’s a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold And He’s kneeling in the garden, as silent as a Stone All His friends are sleeping and He’s weeping all alone
And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God The aching may remain, but the breaking does not The aching may remain, but the breaking does not In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God
Prayer of Trust Will you choose to trust even when you feel all alone? Will you choose to trust that God is there? Read Calvin Miller’s words from The Divine Symphony below. Go to God in silent prayer and give Him your faith and trust.
“God,” I cried, “I need You, Can You hear me? Are You there?” The great glass throne seemed empty, There was no one in His chair. I waited in His absence. Finally on my bloody knees I laid my doubting obscene head On His high-gilded guillotine, And meekly said, “I trust!”
Directed Prayer Wyman Richardson will lead in a time of directed prayer.
Silent Prayer Before the Forgiving Christ Read Luke 8:22-25 below and enter into a time of silent prayer.
22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind
and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”
Holy Wednesday Service Wednesday, April 8 6:00 p.m.
We have seen that the pelican was used as a symbol for Christ. Many also used the peacock. Why? Ralph Wilson explains:
Christians adopted the symbol of the peacock to represent immortality. This came from an ancient legend that the flesh of the peacock did not decay. It is also associated with the resurrection of Christ because it sheds it old feathers every year and grows, newer, brighter ones each year. If the peacock is portrayed drinking from a vase it symbolizes a Christian drinking the waters of eternal life. In addition the "multitude of eyes" upon its stunningly beautiful fan tail, suggested the all seeing eye of God.
Worship Song “At Calvary” “The Wonderful Cross”
Welcome Thomas Sewell
Holy Week Congregational Reading of 1 Corinthians 15 The leader will read the light print and the congregation will respond in unison with the bold print.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.
28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
29 Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?
30 Why are we in danger every hour?
31 I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!
Worship Song “King of Kings”
Message “Gethsemane and the Human Heart” Matthew 26:36-46
(an image from the catcombs - note the peacock above the head of the woman praying)
Maundy Thursday Service Thursday, April 9 6:00 p.m.
Another common and early symbol is the IHG monogram. Philip Kosloski explains its meaning:
Dating all the way back to the third century, Christians shortened the name of Jesus by only writing the first three letters of his name in Greek, ΙΗΣ (from his full name ΙΗΣΟΥΣ). The Greek letter Σ (sigma), is written in the Latin alphabet as an “S,” resulting in the monogram being commonly represented as ΙΗS. In the early centuries of the Church it was a secret symbol, often etched on tombs of Christians.
Worship Song “At the Cross”
Welcome and Prayer Kasey Earl
Holy Week Congregational Reading of 1 Corinthians 15 The leader will read the light print and the congregation will respond in unison with the bold print.
32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
34 Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”
36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.
38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
Communion Video Reflection “Communion”
Communion Message
Songs of Praise “Your Glory / Nothing but the Blood”
Corporate Confession of Sin
O God, you have shown us the way of life through your Son, Jesus Christ. We confess with shame our slowness to learn of him, Our failure to follow him, and our reluctance to bear the cross. We confess the poverty of our worship, Our neglect of fellowship and the means of grace, Our hesitating witness for Christ, Our evasion of responsibilities in our service, Our imperfect stewardship of your gifts. Have mercy on us, Lord, and forgive us. Create within us a clean heart, O God, And put a new and right spirit within us.
Recitation of the Church Covenant
As a body of born again believers, We covenant to become an authentic family by loving one another as Christ loves us, praying for one another, speaking truth to one another in love, being patient with one another, protecting one another, considering one another as more important than ourselves.
We covenant to embrace the whole gospel by studying God’s Word faithfully,
learning the gospel together in family worship, giving ear only to sound doctrine, living out the gospel in our lives, embracing the whole counsel of God.
We covenant to bring glory to God by gathering for worship faithfully, singing to the glory of God, joining together in fervent prayer, doing good works to the Father’s glory, living lives that reflect the beauty of Christ, giving offerings to God joyfully and faithfully,
We covenant to reach the nations by sharing the gospel with those around us, reaching out to the poor and the needy, praying for the cause of missions in the world, giving to the financial support of missions, being personally involved in missions as God leads and as we are able.
Observance of the Lord’s Supper
Good Friday Worship April 10 6:00 p.m.
Of course, the great symbol of the church is the cross! It did not become the primary symbol until after the 4th century when the church was afforded a degree of legal protection. For Christians before that time to paint or draw or erect crosses in front of their places of worship would have been to invite persecution. But soon the cross became the great symbol of the faith, for the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ stands at the very center of the faith! The cross is our salvation, our hope, and our very lives.
Opening Prayer Wyman Richardson
Holy Week Congregational Reading of 1 Corinthians 15 The leader will read the light print and the congregation will respond in unison with the bold print.
43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.
47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
50 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Worship Songs “Nothing but the Blood” “My Jesus I Love Thee” “On My Cross”
Reflections on the Seven Last Words Pastor Wyman
The Seven Last Words of Christ
The Service Ends in Darkness
Easter Sunday Sunday, April 12
Easter Sunday Worship 10:15
Video Introduction “Jesus the Risen King”
Worship in Song “What a Beautiful Name” “Alive Forever Amen”
Welcome and Prayer Thomas Sewell
Holy Week Congregational Reading of 1 Corinthians 15 The leader will read the light print and the congregation will respond in unison with the bold print.
51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.
53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Worship Songs “Death Was Arrested” “Because He Lives” “It is Finished”
Message “Light”
Video Conclusion “He’s Still Risen”
“Seven Stanzas at Easter” John Updike (1960)
Make no mistake: if he rose at all It was as His body; If the cell’s dissolution did not reverse, the molecules reknit, The amino acids rekindle, The Church will fall.
It was not as the flowers, Each soft spring recurrent; It was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled eyes of the Eleven apostles; It was as His flesh; ours.
The same hinged thumbs and toes The same valved heart That—pierced—died, withered, paused, and then regathered Out of enduring Might New strength to enclose.
Let us not mock God with metaphor, Analogy, sidestepping, transcendence, Making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the faded Credulity of earlier ages: Let us walk through the door. The stone is rolled back, not papier-mache, Not a stone in a story, But the vast rock of materiality that in the slow grinding of Time will eclipse for each of us The wide light of day.
Let us not seek to make it less monstrous, For our own convenience, our own sense of beauty, Lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are embarrassed By the miracle, And crushed by remonstrance.