It starts with Palm Sunday. Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem wasn’t much to write home about. If you had been there, you wouldn’t have been too impressed—somebody from nowhere important riding on a donkey into a city. No television stations or bands were present. But for Jesus, it was his moment of triumph. People waved palm branches. Palm branches were given to Olympic Champions. A symbol of victory. The people also hailed Jesus: “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.” Hosanna means to save or rescue.
The songs and the symbolism on Palm Sunday are as powerful as it gets. The songs are about being rescued: from ourselves, from hurts, from addictions, from death itself. The children wave palm branches to celebrate the victory we claim through Jesus. Victory over our brokenness, victory over sin, victory over our fears, victory over death.
But within a week, the people were saying a different phrase, “Crucify him.”
We’ll gather again on Thursday night. Maundy Thursday. The word Maundy is only used in the church. Maundy is from the Latin mandatum, the first word of Jesus’ teaching from John 13:34 - "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" - "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus was sharing his last meal with the twelve men who would be responsible for taking the Gospel to the nations. No time for small talk. Not even time for good stuff. Only the best stuff. “I’m going to make this simple. You need to remember this: Love others as I have loved you.”
Less than a day later we will gather again on Good Friday. The symbol is the cross: the essence of the Christian message and the heart of the Gospel. “Good” seems to be an odd way to describe the day. It was the day Jesus died. No laughter. Only tears. No joy. Only sorrow. But because of what happened two days later, we experience that death is not the end. Death is necessary for new beginnings. Fear dies and becomes faith. Sin dies and becomes grace. Despair dies and becomes hope. Bad habits die and become healthy behaviors. Death dies and becomes eternal life. Nothing seemed “good” about that Friday at the time. Looking back, the day Jesus died was the day “good” was reborn.
Then there is Easter Sunday. The pinnacle of Holy Week. The bunny and the eggs and the pastel clothes – they neither add nor subtract much because there is nothing that can really be added or subtracted. Jesus is alive again and so are we! The resurrection gives our lives meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what our circumstance. Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life. It is a day like no other.
Because of Easter, the best is yet to come…
Craig
The songs and the symbolism on Palm Sunday are as powerful as it gets. The songs are about being rescued: from ourselves, from hurts, from addictions, from death itself. The children wave palm branches to celebrate the victory we claim through Jesus. Victory over our brokenness, victory over sin, victory over our fears, victory over death.
But within a week, the people were saying a different phrase, “Crucify him.”
We’ll gather again on Thursday night. Maundy Thursday. The word Maundy is only used in the church. Maundy is from the Latin mandatum, the first word of Jesus’ teaching from John 13:34 - "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" - "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus was sharing his last meal with the twelve men who would be responsible for taking the Gospel to the nations. No time for small talk. Not even time for good stuff. Only the best stuff. “I’m going to make this simple. You need to remember this: Love others as I have loved you.”
Less than a day later we will gather again on Good Friday. The symbol is the cross: the essence of the Christian message and the heart of the Gospel. “Good” seems to be an odd way to describe the day. It was the day Jesus died. No laughter. Only tears. No joy. Only sorrow. But because of what happened two days later, we experience that death is not the end. Death is necessary for new beginnings. Fear dies and becomes faith. Sin dies and becomes grace. Despair dies and becomes hope. Bad habits die and become healthy behaviors. Death dies and becomes eternal life. Nothing seemed “good” about that Friday at the time. Looking back, the day Jesus died was the day “good” was reborn.
Then there is Easter Sunday. The pinnacle of Holy Week. The bunny and the eggs and the pastel clothes – they neither add nor subtract much because there is nothing that can really be added or subtracted. Jesus is alive again and so are we! The resurrection gives our lives meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what our circumstance. Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life. It is a day like no other.
Because of Easter, the best is yet to come…
Craig
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