It is Holy Week in the Christian Church and we have once again turned our faces toward Calvary. This is a journey from anticipation through great darkness and into amazing light!
The Most Powerful Journey
As a community of faith we will spend a great deal of time together over the next few days as we listen again to the story and place ourselves in the middle of the narrative. Our emotions will cover the spectrum. Spiritually, for me at least, this is the most powerful journey as a follower of Jesus.
From the moment that Jesus entered into Jerusalem the tension mounted and the tides changed. Whether or not Jesus and the first group of followers knew what exactly was going to happen is, of course, a matter of interpretation. However what we can discern from the stories that have been passed on is that Jesus seemed to be very intentional about what he did in this last week. Theologian, James Taylor, suggests that Jesus moves from simply telling to purposefully acting out his parables in an effort to imprint on his followers the message he came to proclaim.
From Fear to Conviction
So what is it that he does in this last week? He begins by coming into the city on a donkey which is traditionally a beast of burden and a symbol of peace. He clears out the money changers from the temple and lets in those who are normally on the outside. He celebrates the Passover with his friends. He faces his enemies and suffers betrayal. Ultimately he is convicted and sentenced to death by crucifixion. Darkness falls and on Easter Sunday something happens that leads the disciples from a place of fear to a place of courage and conviction. We call this Resurrection!
May We …
My hope is that as we make our way through this week we will open ourselves to the power of our story.
May we hear with open ears and see with fresh eyes.
May we know a moment of deep pain as we acknowledge how we too have failed to embrace the message of Jesus.
May we know a moment of great joy as we again stand at the tomb and know that we are not alone.
May we find the courage to do as Jesus did.
If we do, we will enter in peace; we will clear out all that separates us from the Divine; we will open our doors creating spaces of welcome, inclusion and equality; we will celebrate our story and we will bring to the darkness great and amazing light!
Blessings
Valerie
© 2015 Rev. Valerie Peyton Kingsbury. All Rights Reserved