The Church calendar calls this week "Holy Week" It's Passover on the Jewish Calendar. The week long celebration of God delivering the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. Thursday will be the big Passover feast, the last meal Jesus ate with his friends. It will mark the anniversary of Jesus being betrayed by one of His closest friends and going to the cross to die.
This I'm taking some time to focus on what "Holy Week" means for those of us who trust in Jesus, particularly Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Friday will be a hard day of remembering the penalty that Jesus paid for our sin. It was not a free and easy gift to give us, it cost Him everything. It is called "Good Friday" because of the good work Christ accomplished, but the goodness is not something to be taken lightly. It is the day of sacrifice and suffering.
Saturday will be a quiet day, the day God was silent, the day Jesus lay dead in the tomb. The day His followers questioned and feared and wept. And were unanswered in their prayers.
Sunday is the celebration of the single greatest event in the history of the world. When death is conquered and hope is finally realized. Sin is not only paid for but loses its power of control. Our relationship with God is finally restored. It is the fulfillment of all the hope of Christmas. For on Easter Sunday, Jesus came back to life!!
It'll be a time of remembering, being sober-minded about ourselves, and waiting. And then a time for celebrating and rejoicing!! It's the highlight of the year, the basis and foundation of our faith. The cross, burial and rising to life of Jesus is the good news of Christianity. It's the life giving truth that sets it apart from "religiosity." It is purpose for each day and hope for the future.
Easter is the fulfillment and the Hope for all of us who love Jesus.
In the midst of remembering what God has done, there is sorrow and confusion for Mark and I. Easter will be our first major holiday since Jairus died. I'm nervous for all the holidays we'll face without him now, knowing that we should all be together but are not. Thinking of how he would be a part of the fun Emma and Hazen will have. So I'll be sharing how that is all going too. We're trying to figure out how to celebrate and include him in our festivities.
It's going to be a hard weekend for us, but we know there is true reason to rejoice this Easter. Our son is in heaven as result of Jesus rising from the dead, and that is worth great celebration!
No comments:
Post a Comment