A More Participatory Easter
3 Activities That Bring Holy Week to Life for Your Ward, from Jennifer Wilcox
Observing Holy Week and celebrating the Christian liturgical calendar is still a little unfamiliar to many Latter-day Saints. With a greater emphasis on Easter and the days leading up to it in the past few years, you (and your ward) might be looking for ways to mark the events of Holy Week—and how to make them your own.
Jennifer Wilcox, member of the Center’s board of directors, has been exploring ways to make the week more participatory and reflective through simple artistic activities that invite an entire congregation to take part in the story of Easter. We reached out to her for some of her experiences:
PALM SUNDAY - Be His Hands
Last year, Jennifer spoke on Palm Sunday about the symbolism of palms in the time of Jesus. While Palm branches are associated with victory and kingship, Jennifer took a more memorable approach and connected it to 1 Nephi 21:6 and Isaiah 49:16 — where Jesus says “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”
In the foyer outside the chapel, green handprints were cut out of paper, where each person wrote on a paper “palm” something they would do during Holy Week to “be His hands” and serve others. The commitments were anonymous.
During the second hour of Church, Jennifer attached the those paper hands to long dowels and transformed them into palm fronds. As church meetings adjourned, the Primary children walked through the chapel halls waving the handmade palms and singing “Hosanna,” echoing first Palm Sunday described in the Gospels.
Bread tables were decorated with the paper palm prints created during the Palm Sunday celebrations the week before.
THE BREAD OF LIFE - He is Risen
The following Sunday, the Jennifer’s congregation celebrated Easter by breaking bread together.
Because the church meetings were shortened that day, members were invited to bring a loaf of bread—whether a favorite recipe, a family tradition, something from their culture, or even a simple store-bought loaf.
“After Sacrament Meeting, we all gathered in the gym to eat bread together with some butter and honey in remembrance of the Bread of Life - He who is risen,” said Jennifer.
GOOD FRIDAY - Remembering Christ
This year, with General Conference falling on Easter Sunday, Jennifer’s congregation plans to gather instead on Good Friday evening for a Seder-style dinner adapted for a Latter-day Saint setting. Primary children will help present parts of the story, and the evening will include songs and readings from an abbreviated script.
Participants will also be invited to bring a picture of Jesus from their homes—large or small—to decorate the cultural hall during the meal.
After the Seder dinner, the congregation will move into the chapel to sing several hymns. Then, holding their pictures of Christ, the lights will be turned off as the congregation quietly exits the chapel in the dark, recalling the three hours of darkness described in scripture at the time of Christ’s crucifixion (flashlights will help guide the way out).
These simple, tactile activities—paper palms, shared bread, and images of Christ—invite people to experience Holy Week in a new way.
More Links for Easter:
