The Holy Week Journey

This Holy Week.  My heart beats faster; my emotions gyrate from the lowest despair to the highest joy imaginable; and each step of Jesus' journey from his entry into Jerusalem through his crucifixion and the spectacular declaration of his resurrection elevate the necessity of remembering and celebrating the last week of Jesus' life on this earth.  I cannot imagine a year without the experience of Holy Week.

Some church members appear unaware of the importance and significance of making this Holy Week journey.  They arrive on Palm Sunday with a celebration of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, with Palm Branches waving and the people shouting "Hosanna".  They return on Easter Sunday with the declaration that Jesus is risen, he is Lord of all, and never comprehend the painful rejection, suffering, and death that Jesus experience on their behalf.  They miss a vital part of the gospel story.

The greatest fear that I have is that individuals will draw the conclusion that they can live their lives from Palm Sunday to Easter without ever experiencing the depths of despair, agony, and suffering of following Jesus Christ.  More and more pastors are proclaiming what I understand as a prosperity gospel.  They appear to communicate that those who follow Jesus Christ will enjoy all of the blessings of life and will avoid the devastations that befall so many.  Many parts of the Old Testament seem to communicate that message.  The Book of Job contradicts that message.  We do not always deserve what we get, nor get what we deserve.

Some of the most righteous and faithful persons I have known were individuals who suffered some of life's greatest difficulties and tragedies.  Instead of being broken and destroyed by these adversities, they were strengthened and empowered as they relied upon the presence of the Holy Spirit and the power of God to sustain and strengthen.  Other people facing far less harsh conditions lost their faith in Jesus Christ, cursed God, and died.  Their faith resembled the seeds that fell on the rocks where the seeds sprouted, grew some, and withered for lack of moisture (Luke 8:6).  Circumstances neither make nor break us.  The difference comes in our trust in Jesus Christ and our expectation of what Jesus will do for and with us when we encounter both success and failure in life.

Can you imagine what Jesus might have felt and thought as he rode on the back of a donkey into Jerusalem?  Can you imagine how Jesus might have felt when the disciple fled from his side, the soldiers taunted him, and the crowd shouted, "Crucify him"?  Can you place yourself in Jesus' body as he hung on the cross and knew that he was about to breathe his last? 

The great, good news is that death did not have the final word.  God shocked the world, even Jesus' disciples, by raising our Lord from death to life on Easter Sunday morning.  Life can never be the same again.  God changed the world.  God changed life.  God conquered the power of death.  Alleluia!

Grace & Peace,