Classical music, an integral part of worship at Lutheran Church of Honolulu for the past 40 years, will heighten the drama of the last three days of Holy Week that culminate in Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.
This climactic period is known as the Easter, Holy or Paschal Triduum — from the evening of Maundy Thursday, spanning Good Friday and the Holy Saturday vigil, and concluding on Easter Sunday morning. The Rev. Jeff Lilley of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu calls the Triduum "three days plus one" for modern Christians who don’t follow the liturgical lunar calendar.
"While many churches no longer observe many of the ancient traditions, this congregation continues to find spiritual food in the symbols and practices of the early church," Lilley said. Services on Thursday, Friday and Saturday will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the church, at 1730 Punahou St.
Katherine Crosier, the church’s publicist and organist, said it was her husband, Carl Crosier, who "established the tenor and repertoire of the music program" and taught the mixed choir a wide variety of major classical works. He retired last year after earning critical acclaim for his 38 years as a cantor, liturgist and musician.
The choir also rings handbells while singing, and professionals from the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra are often hired to accompany them at services and its concert series, she said.
In her 34 years as church organist, Katherine Crosier has never tired of playing the same music written by the master composers in celebration of holy days — "it’s like asking if you ever tire of singing Christmas carols," she said. "I enjoy playing this music, because it’s the only time of the year I usually play them, and people love to hear them."
The choir will perform 40 pieces during Holy Week, which begins tomorrow on Palm Sunday. A palm-waving procession around the Makiki neighborhood starts at 10:30 a.m., accompanied by a brass quartet, to recount Jesus’ triumphal entry in Jerusalem, Crosier said.
Lilley explained that "maundy" means "command" and that the first day of the Triduum is Maundy Thursday because "Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment: that they love one another. Jesus knelt and washed the feet of the disciples before breaking bread and drinking wine with them. Even as death looms before him, Jesus gives of himself once more."
Crosier said Gregorian chant will provide the backdrop to the foot-washing. After Holy Communion "the altar and chancel furnishings are removed — the stripping of the altar — in preparation for Good Friday. The organ is silenced after the ‘Gloria in Excelsis.’"
On Good Friday the "Passion According to St. John" byTomás Luis de Victoria will set to melody the story of Jesus’ suffering, trial and crucifixion. Crosier said it will take 30 minutes to sing the story, featuring soloists playing the principal parts of Judas, Jesus, Pontius Pilate and a narrator. Lilley added that as the high point of the Friday service, "the cross is carried in procession and placed against the altar. Worshippers are invited to carry lighted candles and place them at the foot of the cross, taking time to pray and reflect on Christ’s passion and willing death."
The Holy Saturday vigil begins in darkness, until the first new fire is lit in the courtyard. The large Paschal candle, the light of Christ, is lit from the bonfire in what is, perhaps, "the most sacred of our practices" at the church, Lilley said.
Seven readings tell of all that God has done before "the ministers prepare for the great moment when darkness and gloom are thrown off and Easter joy is proclaimed. Christ’s resurrection becomes our moment of joy," Lilley said.
At this point Crosier pounds out "Come Holy Spirit" on the organ, and everyone rings handbells in a raucous celebration for two minutes, she said. (The Saturday vigil used to begin at midnight and end at sunrise Sunday, but churches moved their Saturday night services to a more convenient, earlier time, she said.)
Lilley said, "On Easter morning we pull out all the stops to celebrate all that God has done for us in Jesus. The visual and aromatic feast of Easter lilies reminds us we have new life in Christ. White and gold paraments adorn the altar — white for purity and gold for the richness of God’s love."
The Bach Chamber Orchestra will accompany singing on Easter, which includes Bach’s "Sing to the Lord a New Song," sung in the original German, Crosier said.
