The Night Watch with Jesus
Maundy Thursday
Toward the end of tonight's Liturgy, the Blessed Sacrament is processed from the main Altar into the Chapel and placed upon an altar of repose, whereupon an hourly vigil is kept throughout the night and into mid-morning.
The Night Watch brings us into the Garden of Gethsemane for Jesus's Passion. It was here where Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to stay awake while he prayed. These three, who were especially close to Jesus, could not stay awake, and Jesus is left in solitary anguish. Tonight is our opportunity to accept Jesus's invitation to keep watch through the night hours.
The Hours between 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. are covered, but we have three hours that are still available: 6:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., and 10:00 a.m. If you wish to take one of these hours, please call or text me at (425) 426-4864. We will also have the sign-up sheet on the table at the church entrance.
Since I became a priest in 2009, I have planned and most often presided at every liturgy of Holy Week. During this time, when I have asked people to share about a time when they felt particularly close to God, about a third will identify an experience that occurred during the Night Watch.
Here are just a handful of experiences shared by St. John's Members: (I have paraphrased some of the reflections and edited others to fit the format.)
"Last year, I participated in the overnight vigil in the Chapel which started on Maundy Thursday evening and ended on Good Friday morning. It was my favorite time during Holy Week. During a week that was crowded with my Altar Guild and Flower Ministry duties, I was compelled to be quiet and still with God for one specific hour. The Chapel was a lovely peaceful space that invited me to pray, meditate and read scripture. Yes, I will be there, again, this season." Dana Pitts
"The Maundy Thursday Vigil or Watch, to put it bluntly, is inconvenient. And practicing the disciplines of stillness, concentration, and sustained focus is a form of work that I find challenging, yet it is the work that prepares one for life and death. I value honest, hard work because I am convinced that physical labor is essential to the human experience. It's one thing to write a check or lend one's name to a petition; it's quite another to break a sweat and exert real effort in a task.
The profound significance of experiencing pain and exertion was starkly illuminated in the final hours of Christ’s life. At the pivotal moment in the garden, while Jesus grappled with the intensely physical reality he knew awaited him, his eleven 'chosen' companions opted for sleep.
This experience of facing hardship awaits us all. That solitary 'lonesome valley' offers no companionship, no comforting 'cuppa' to soften the moment. While we might hope for a swift departure or the solace of a heavily medicated end, I am drawn to the idea of actively preparing myself to meet this ultimate challenge. Can I cultivate grace when faced with the test of a lifetime? For me, I anticipate the most difficult aspect will be the loss of control over my own existence—a terrifying and unfamiliar landscape. Yet, Jesus confronted these trials with acceptance and compassion for those who would become his custodians. His 'work' in the garden that night wasn't about a financial transaction, a simple click of a button, or even a task in need of a tidy fix. By intentionally embracing inconvenience, taking my place in the chapel and practicing the disciplines of stillness, concentration, and sustained focus, I am undertaking the very 'work' needed to ready myself for the inevitable challenges of life and its end." Dennis Welch
"There's something powerful about committing to staying awake and keeping watch, inconvenient though it may be, especially when I choose to show up in the wee hours that blur the divide between night and morning. By physically sitting in this sacred space, I am transported back to the Garden of Gethsemane and hear Jesus asking his disciples, 'could you not manage to stay awake this one time – because it's important and because I asked?'
I love the sacred quiet and the physicality of this ritual. I show up however it feels right - sitting, kneeling, stretching on my yoga mat, or lying on my back. Sometimes I pray. Most often I just breathe. As I breathe in and out, I am reminded that Jesus left us with the Holy Spirit by breathing on his disciples. As I breathe in and out, I am reminded that my breath and my body are sacred. As I breathe in and out, and I feel the enormity of what Jesus is about to face. As I breathe in and out, I feel the precious nature of this very moment – and ask for God's help, just for today, to stay awake and keep watch for the Love that continues to triumph over evil and death." Susan Trabucchi
As long as I've been at St. John's, Jon Vicklund has served as our "night watchman" for the Night Watch. Jon spends the entire night in the Narthex in a sleeping bag, waiting to let in the next person who has volunteered for that hour. I asked Jon to share what motivates him to this arduous duty, and here is what he shared.
"I'm happy to reflect on my overnight ministry letting people in when they come for their turn in the Chapel. It is the same reason I volunteer to do other work around the church. I consider myself a humble servant, humble because I prefer to remain anonymous except a simple thank you or sometimes a lunch invitation or a few homemade cookies. And servant because I'm willing to do most tasks if they're within my abilities." Jon Vicklund
Do you have special memories from Holy Week liturgies you want to share? Please email Fr. Michael at rector@stjohnskirkland.org for inclusion in this week's reflections or in future Holy Week materials.