A Holy Week

Holy Week. It's a term that means something special to many Christians, and absolutely nothing to many others. For some it is a week to contemplate the last week of Jesus' earthly life, and to think about what it means to live sacrificially. For others, it is a countdown to Easter Sunday, to the festivities and to the reality of the resurrection. I have said it for years and years: one cannot get to Easter Sunday without going through Good Friday. I have been criticized, with some saying that the resurrection trumps all else, and that the need for Good Friday is now done away with, because it did not have the last word. Attendance at my annual Good Friday prayer service is slim, indeed. We just don't want to take the time, it seems, to be reminded of something that is not pretty. And that is exactly the point: Holy Week is not pretty, and it makes us think about terrible events in the life of the One whom God sent to be with us. Perhaps we think we cannot look upon it because we are unworthy, and it reminds us of the distance there is to go between who we should be as Christians, and who we really are. And that's the crux of Good Friday: we look unfaithfulness and betrayal in the eye, and we gaze upon the horror of the murder of Jesus, the very one who did not deserve to die. We cannot understand, adequately, the transforming power of the resurrection in the life of the followers of Jesus until we look, unflinchingly, at the ways in which that first faith community nearly fell apart. The downward spiral of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday was hastened by the abandonment of Jesus by those closest to him. And once they abandoned him, they could not face him, or those who persecuted him, so they fled, quite simply. And that is where Good Friday leaves us, alone and feeling forsaken, until sunrise on Easter Sunday. But let's not jump to Easter right away. Linger with Jesus, in that desolate place, for just a while, so that you may take in the enormity of what is meant by sacrificial love, and view the lengths to which God was willing to go to demonstrate that love. In that silence and darkness are to be found the seeds that will blossom into a proper celebration of the resurrection. May God be with you this Holy Week.

Not Just Another Week.

We face Holy Week next week, preceded by Palm/Passion Sunday. So many people have reacted with surprise when I mention that Palm Sunday is nearly here. Maybe it is due to the fact that Easter is early this year, and the weather, thus far in March, has been anything but spring-like. Nevertheless, the most sacred week in the Christian calendar is almost upon us. What I have discovered, over the years, is the disconnect that more and more people feel with the whole week, aside from Easter. I gave up holding a Maundy Thursday service on campus years ago, because almost no one attended. I was told by one person this year that Maundy Thursday is a "Catholic" holiday, and that Protestants do not observe it. He was wrong, of course, but that perception is widespread. I continue to offer a prayer service at noon on Good Friday, but the attendance is always very low. Our natural inclination as people, and as Christians, is to want to get past the hard stuff and get right to Easter. Good Friday is a downer, so we do our best not to think about it. And yet, how can we possibly celebrate Easter as we should if we have not been willing to look at the events that preceded the resurrection? Fair-weather Christianity is very popular in America, where we can always feel good and not have to deal with unpleasantries. However, I am encouraged by the election of Pope Francis, because he implores all who hear him preach to remember the poor, and he has expressed his vision of having a church that is poor so that the poor may be rich. I think he captures the spirit of the Holy Week message quite well. So, I challenge you to attend a Palm/Passion Sunday service this weekend, even if it has not been a part of your tradition until now. It is the way to best prepare for what is coming, and it is the time for each of us to ask ourselves if we can, indeed, stand with Christ as he faces his trial and crucifixion. For how can we look him in the face on Easter if we have abandoned him in the days leading up to his resurrection? May you have a meaningful Holy Week.