On Sunday, April 2, we will celebrate Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. Holy Week, or the Great Week, as it has been called throughout the history of the church, leads us to the love of God. It is the week which shapes all of our other weeks!
We begin by waving palms and shouting, “Hosanna in the highest heaven.” We recall and imagine Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, humble and triumphant! Holy Week begins with shouts of joy, and it also ends with shouts of joy on Easter morning.
As we enter this Great Week, we must be careful never to forget what happens between Palm Sunday and Easter morning. The shouts of joy on Palm Sunday are restrained by tension throughout the week. Jesus is questioned and criticized. People are worrying and plotting.
On Maundy Thursday, April 6, we will gather with the disciples around the table of communion. We will slow down enough to remember everything that happened during that week. We will listen for the concern of betrayal as we hear Jesus break the bread and pour the cup.
We will also gather on Good Friday, April 7, for a Tenebrae service. It is a stark reminder that the shouts of joy on Palm Sunday become the cries for crucifixion on Good Friday. We will witness the shadows of Good Friday, falling across our lives and all of creation, as we also endure the silence of Holy Saturday.
All of this will prepare us for the surprise of Easter morning, where we proclaim the risen Christ! For now, we continue to walk with Jesus along this path of Lent, and of Holy Week, sharing our lives with one another, as we ponder the width and depth of the steadfast love of God!
-Tripp