Making Christ’s love real, that’s why Royal Oak First exists. Our purpose is to help people experience real love, build real friendships, and make a real difference. That means that we want everyone who shows up for worship to feel the life-changing, no-holds-barred love of God—and there is no bigger week for worship in the Christian tradition than the week leading up to Easter, Holy Week.
Stretched between Sundays, we walk through the last week of Jesus’ life. This first weekend, Palm Sunday, we join the crowds as we see him ride into town on a stolen donkey. Thursday, we join in the last dinner he had with his friends. It’s traditionally called Maundy Thursday, because of the directions (Latin: mandatum) he gave them about how to remember him every time they sit down for a meal together. On Friday, we look on as the religious and civil authorities conspire to have him beaten and executed, and we watch as he dies with words of both despair and forgiveness on his lips. After waiting, restless through the sabbath day of rest, we wake up early on Sunday to walk to the borrowed grave and prepare Jesus’ body. What happens next may make an April fool out of all of us! With each new chapter, through celebration and grief, his story becomes our story.
I hope you’ll join us on this week-long journey. This isn’t a punch-card, and it’s not just for worship geeks; this week is for anyone willing to risk being transformed by real love.
Peace,
Rev. Caleb Williams
Minister of Worship and Arts