Holy Week
Palm Sunday
We are approaching Easter, seen as the greatest festival in the church calendar. But, we’re not there yet. We have a week to go and an ancient path to follow.
Egeria, a woman who was either a nun or an abbess from Spain or Gaul, left behind a diary from her time in the Holy Land (ca. 381-384). In it, she writes in detail about services
in Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday, worshippers celebrate and rehearse the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Then the children gather palm branches and the people walk the road that leads to the cross. Hundreds of years later, we still do the same thing.
This week, we celebrate with hosannas, but on Good Friday and Holy Saturday we will grieve. And our sorrow is the exact place resurrection comes. Thanks be to God.
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross began as pilgrims retraced Jesus’ final steps in Jerusalem up to the hill where he was crucified. Wanting to share that practice and experience with people who couldn’t make the trip to Jerusalem, they created local stations of meditation that became in itself a tradition. You can find this tradition on the inside of many churches still today.
Good Friday
Finally, they came to the place called The Skull. All three were crucified at once – Jesus on the centre cross, and the two criminals on either side.
–Luke 23:33
“Good Friday” is “God’s Friday.” Let that not be lost on you. This day of
all days belongs to God, even with the suffering Saviour on the cross before us.
Who else could not strike back? Who else would offer forgiveness while bleeding? Who else would turn to free the brother beside him? Who else could bring life from this death? In the face
of such violence, something about the divine was willing to die, and that’s a mystery worth grappling with year after year after year.
Faithfully
We are excited to share our first single from Commons Creative! This song has been poured into by our team and our prayer is that the words and music would be meaningful for our church.
Easter Sunday
We’re here! Easter is the festival of festivals! The Queen of Feasts! This is the day we wait for. This is the day of new life. And with all we celebrate today, Easter is the day that shapes every day to come. So hear, repeat, and return to this prayer in the Easter season. It’s a beauty and it’s a benediction.
Beyond Easter we go singing.
Having been seized
by resurrection
we are full of tears and laughter.
The way ahead is unknown. It will always be like that.
but having danced in the light we will look for glory everywhere.
–Ruth Burgess,
The Iona Community
Bonus Material
On Easter Sunday we reflected on the mixture of worship and doubt found in the resurrection stories—but what about those for whom the news of resurrection took days or weeks even months to reach. What would it have been like your faith to come back to life after that long? Would it even be the same faith?
