Join us for Holy Week 2026!
The deepest night. We inhabit the heavy silence of the tomb and the weight of the burial linens. There is no gold yet; only the rugged truth that some things must truly die before they can be raised to a more beautiful life.
Sit in the absolute stillness of the room. Do not try to pray or fix anything. Simply stay in your seat and let the silence of the tomb settle over you, honoring the mystery of the unfinished.
Ritual action: In the silence, acknowledge the One who meets you in the "parched shadows" of your life.
Jan Richardson
We never
would have wished it
to come to this,
yet we call
these moments holy
as we hold you.
Holy the tending,
holy the winding,
holy the leaving,
as in the living.
Holy the silence,
holy the stillness,
holy the turning
and returning to earth.
Blessed is the One
who came
in the name,
blessed is the One
who laid
himself down,
blessed is the One
emptied for us,
blessed is the One
wearing the shroud.
Holy the waiting,
holy the grieving,
holy the shadows
and gathering night.
Holy the darkness,
holy the hours,
holy the hope
turning toward light.
Jan Richardson is an ordained United Methodist minister and artist who integrates word and image through her celebrated blessings, liturgies, and sacred art exploring faith and grief.Â