Holy Week Together: Tickles and Butterfly Feet

When I was growing up, our Lutheran church celebrated Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday) with a focus on the Last Supper, and fifth graders received their first communion. Our kids remember Maundy Thursday as the night when Pastor Dave closed the Bible with a loud slam. The altar was stripped and we walked out in silence. For several years, our Milwaukee Church did something we called Family Camp during Holy Week, which included worship, art and outdoor activities instead of traditional worship on Holy Thursday and Good Friday.

A Holy Week tradition for families in the Lutheran Church in Los Héroes is to gather at the church on Holy Thursday for an informal devotional with singing, scripture reading and the lavatorio de pies - foot washing. Folks sit in a big circle, and the pastors wash everyone's feet in the same way that Jesus washed his disciples' feet during the Last Supper.

In our relationship as sister churches, we have a catch-phrase: better together. One way in which we are better together is by sharing creativity in worship. Last year on Holy Thursday, we incorporated a few ideas from Family Camp, hoping to make the lavatorio de pies more welcoming for families with young children. Of course, that made the devotional more interactive for adults too!

Families gathered for worship.

Children colored Holy Week story pages while we waited for folks to arrive and during
the scripture readings.

After talking about Jesus washing his disciples' feet, the children had their feet washed.

There were lots and lots of tickles and giggles.

The grown-ups were next.



We traced our shoes to make butterfly wings.

Then it was time to get creative and decorate our Resurrection Butterflies.










Families were encouraged to hang their butterflies up in their homes as a reminder that each of us is unique and Jesus loves each one of us, that we are worthy of having our feet washed, and that we are called to love each other like Jesus loves us. Then, we shared a meal together...tamales!!

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