04-01-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
​April 1, 2023
Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, and of course, that means Easter is a week from tomorrow. I’m sure there are many such weeks in other walks of life, but for ministers, this is the intersection of stress and joy, craziness and exhilaration. Over the years, I have found the range of emotions to provide a little glimpse into the experience of the first Holy Week. People were bouncing around from high to low, from low to high, and everywhere in between. Yet many of you have heard me describe a tendency in the life of the church to move from Palm Sunday to Easter, from high to high, from joy to joy, from exhilaration to exhilaration. We teach the church year for a reason, including the journey of Jesus through times of betrayal, uncertainty, abandonment, physical suffering, and death. There is something very real about Holy Week, yet some intentionally fly over the pain because it is a little too real, maybe even a bit triggering. That’s understandable! With that said, I find comfort and companionship through the One who gives a nod of understanding when I am praying from the depths of my own sorrow, fear, or pain.

There is a grace, O God, when you hear our cries and sympathize with our anguish. As we learn a bit more about Jesus, we learn a bit more about you and the way love is made visible in your capacity to appreciate and commiserate as you stand alongside us. Amen.