Holy Week
When you think about the events of the last week of Jesus life what day do you tend to focus on? Do you focus on Good Friday or Easter? Do you focus on the passion or on the empty tomb? Do you rely more on the promise of the cross than you do the promise of the empty tomb?
It is important to understand that all the events of the week are important. We need to experience the whole week in our lives not just one day. We need to live as Easter people but we need to go through the cross to get there.
There are times that we get focused or live like it is Friday with all of its sorrow and we forget that Easter has happened. We don't love the new life that is ors and we don't experience the celebration. We cling to the ol rugged cross so tight we miss that Jesus was buried and rose overcoming sin and death. We stay stuck in sin and death and think new life is impossible. We think pain and sorrow is all there is.
However, we can live the new life that Christ brings. We are Easter people.
But, the opposite happens too. We focus just on the celebration of Easter and we forget that the passion and the sorrow was necessary, is necessary, for us to experience true Easter.
We fool ouselves into thinking somehow that as Christians we should be immune from pain and sorrow and fail to see that God can be working through the passion of our lives. We want to be Easter people but we want to do it without the messyness of the cross. Without confronting our sin and dying to ourselves. Neither is right for followers of Jesus.
We need to take in and experience Holy Week. All of it. Over the next few days you will have ways to experince and take part in Holy week. We are going to have Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. We are also having a 40 hour prayer vigil.
I pray that this helps us to experience all that Easter has to offer us and that it helps us to live like the tomb is empty. Someone once said that the problem with many Christians is that they live like it is Saturday. They live like they don't know the hope, the healing, the wholeness that is ours because of Easter.
We need the cross and the empty tomb. We need to live through the passion so that we understand the celebration. But, don't get stuck on Saturday move on through the week. Not too fast or too slow. Follow God, get in tune to the Spirit and experience this week in God's time. Today is only Wednesday. We have made it to the hump.
Love today.
In Christ's love and mine,
Doug
It is important to understand that all the events of the week are important. We need to experience the whole week in our lives not just one day. We need to live as Easter people but we need to go through the cross to get there.
There are times that we get focused or live like it is Friday with all of its sorrow and we forget that Easter has happened. We don't love the new life that is ors and we don't experience the celebration. We cling to the ol rugged cross so tight we miss that Jesus was buried and rose overcoming sin and death. We stay stuck in sin and death and think new life is impossible. We think pain and sorrow is all there is.
However, we can live the new life that Christ brings. We are Easter people.
But, the opposite happens too. We focus just on the celebration of Easter and we forget that the passion and the sorrow was necessary, is necessary, for us to experience true Easter.
We fool ouselves into thinking somehow that as Christians we should be immune from pain and sorrow and fail to see that God can be working through the passion of our lives. We want to be Easter people but we want to do it without the messyness of the cross. Without confronting our sin and dying to ourselves. Neither is right for followers of Jesus.
We need to take in and experience Holy Week. All of it. Over the next few days you will have ways to experince and take part in Holy week. We are going to have Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. We are also having a 40 hour prayer vigil.
I pray that this helps us to experience all that Easter has to offer us and that it helps us to live like the tomb is empty. Someone once said that the problem with many Christians is that they live like it is Saturday. They live like they don't know the hope, the healing, the wholeness that is ours because of Easter.
We need the cross and the empty tomb. We need to live through the passion so that we understand the celebration. But, don't get stuck on Saturday move on through the week. Not too fast or too slow. Follow God, get in tune to the Spirit and experience this week in God's time. Today is only Wednesday. We have made it to the hump.
Love today.
In Christ's love and mine,
Doug
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