Holy Week
Holy Week begins tomorrow with Palm Sunday. This season is the Apex of the Christian year. The mission of the baby born at Christmas is fulfilled in his passion, death, and resurrection at Easter. We seek to reach across space and time and experience these events that happened nearly two thousand years ago. We seek to experience and witness the salvation of the world. We go on a journey, and each of the parts are important.
On Palm Sunday we remember the duality of humanity’s relationship with God. We greet Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem with joy, we greet the gospel with joy, but that joy does not last. It instead leads to betrayal, abandonment, and death.
On Maundy Thursday we remember that in Jesus the God of the universe not only became human, but became the servant of all, and established the sacrament of the eucharist. We remember the call to serve and the real connection we have to the presence of Christ in the eucharist.
On Good Friday we remember Jesus’ arrest and trial. We remember the suffering and darkness that was experienced for our sake. We remember the price of our salvation.
Then, on Easter Vigil we remember and hear the story of God’s salvation. We hear how everything from the beginning has been building to what God did in Christ. This was always the story. This was always the plan. We move from death into life.
Then on Easter Sunday we proclaim the hope that the entirety of Christianity hangs on. Our Lord is risen from the dead! The Lord is risen indeed!
That is the journey we undertake this week. Join me in walking the path. Take the journey day by day. Experience each step until we arrive at Easter morning. Let us walk with our Lord through the last week of his earthly life and ministry. Let us follow him through the darkness of suffering and betrayal, and on the other side greet the dawn of our salvation.
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