Church of the Good Shepherd

Palm Sunday (primary service)
2026-03-29 10:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Palm Sunday is the day that Christians observe the triumphal entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Crowds of people greeted him at the city gates with waving palms as the King of the Jews. One short week later, he would be hung upon the cross at Golgotha.

The 10:30 service this Sunday begins at the church sign on Conklin Ave. where we will wave palms, and enter the church in procession with song, prayer, and bagpipes!

Tennebrae
2026-04-01 19:30 - 20:30
Tenebrae means “shadows” in Latin. It is a service of word, light and sound.

When you arrive for worship you will see two groups of candles lit on the altar table. As readings are read the candles on the altar will be gradually extinguished until the very end of the service when the last candle left lit is removed from the worship space and the whole sanctuary is left in darkness. At that point a loud crash will (should) shatter the silence of the sanctuary. Then, after a moment, the last candle is returned to the sanctuary, and the worshippers depart in silence.

The gradual darkening of the sanctuary and the crashing noise symbolizes the apparent victory of death, darkness, and chaos over Jesus Christ on the cross. The final candle being removed and returned, symbolizes the truth that through Jesus’ death, God gained victory over all the powers of evil. The Light was not overcome.

Maundy Thursday
2026-04-02 19:30 - 20:30
Maundy Thursday communion celebrates the humility of Jesus with a ceremonial foot washing. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s and yet on the night before he died, during the Last Supper, he knelt down and one by one washed his disciples’ feet. He did this to show his disciples and to show you and me how to serve one another with humility and love, being willing even to stoop to the most menial tasks.

Maundy Thursday is the last chance for communion until the Great Vigil.

Good Friday Noon Service
2026-04-03 12:00 - 13:00
At about 3pm on Friday of Holy Week he lifted his eyes up to heaven from the cross and breathed out his last. “It is finished” he said. He was not only referring to his life, but he was also referring to his mission to deal with and defeat once and for all sin, death, and Satan.

This is a quiet service of readings and prayer.

Stations of the Cross
2026-04-03 19:30 - 20:30
This is a solemn service. The participants walk through the stations of the cross by candlelight in procession, hearing a brief reading at each, and exit the sanctuary in silence.

This service includes a necrology, a liturgy to remember the dead.

The Great Vigil of Easter
2026-04-04 19:30 - 21:00
Along with Tenebrae, the Easter Vigil is one of the most ancient services of the Church. It is the most important service of the entire year and it is the first service of Easter. The service begins in total darkness—the lights of the sanctuary are out and not a candle is burning. Then a fire is lit in a firepot the center of the nave and from that flame all the candles in the sanctuary are lit and the hand-candles in the congregation. Then come readings and psalms, said and sung, by singers and by the whole congregation. The sermon follows and then the first Communion of Easter.

The Great Vigil begins at 7:30pm in the sanctuary.
