This is the week. This is the week that changed everything for those who follow Jesus. For those of us that love the rhythm of the Church Calendar, we get dorky excited when Holy Week begins. It's the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Our journey is wrapped up in everything from celebration to sorrow and back again. I need just a moment to express some personal thoughts on this week. Well, perhaps they are more than thoughts, they are suggestions. Please hear them with the appropriate amount of love and grace and firmness.
PLEASE do not skip from Sunday to Sunday. The story of Jesus is not complete with palms and lilies. We need the bread and the cup. We need the nails and the grief. We need the stone closing the tomb. When we wave palm branches on Palm Sunday and skip past the week to a sunrise egg hunt and matching family pastels, we miss the WHY.
I missed worship today. I was on a plane home from Tampa with tired swimmers and even more exhausted parents, coaches and Mimi's. As we flew, I was reminded that around the world, people were gathering together and shouting Hosannah and celebrating that the King is riding the donkey into Jerusalem in Glory. Then the news informed me that Christians in Egypt were doing just this when terror invaded their worship. This news made my desire to celebrate our hope even more important this week. Honestly, I was terribly sad that I was not with my community this morning, and I took a few moments of stillness to usher myself into this week. This is important. We have much to celebrate and grieve about and hope for in the days to come. Be present and connect in ways that are meaningful for you.
Over the next few days, I am going to write about stories that are found in the Gospels between the entry of Jesus to Jerusalem and the Last Supper. On Thursday, we will remember this holy meal. Friday is the day that hope seems lost as we witness the pain of death. And then we wait.
You can do this in many ways, but I find it especially valuable to do this in the context of community. For my local friends, I would be honored to have you as a part of our community at ECL. Wednesday, we will close out our Lenten study with a conversation entitled "There is a place at the table for all." The study starts at 7pm. On Thursday, we will share the Eucharist in the context of a meal. Join us at 6:30pm under the oak trees at 218 Clear Creek Ave. Friday, we will journey with the Gospel writers and be reminded of the pain of death. This service will draw on the hopelessness on the day of Crucifixion. And finally, next Sunday at 10am we will celebrate all that is Resurrection. All of it!
This week is intentionally painful. The road is not easy. My prayer for you is that you can find a space and time and way to be on a journey this week. And if the journey of Jesus seems like a far away story from a far away time, I pray that it will come alive for you this week. May we see the road leading into Jerusalem as our invitation to hope.
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