Forgive me if I am preaching to the choir, but as I write this, we are entering the most difficult days of the church year, and the tough subject matter can make it doubly difficult to come to worship on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Perhaps rather than backing away from discomfort, we walk through it this year, for the full meaning of the joy of Easter is punctuated if we first remember the difficult road Jesus took.
Recalling how Jesus did the job of a servant by kneeling and carefully washing each of his disciples’ feet reminds us that this gesture of love and mercy is a gift to inform their future; teaching them to humbly love one another as he has loved them.
Remembering that final meal Jesus shared with his disciples and how he told them to continue breaking bread and sharing wine remembering his spiritual presence with the community of believers until he returns. He knew as they and we continue to celebrate the Sacrament of Communion, this meal keeps our hope alive as our spirits are fed by God’s Word, even amidst the losses woven into our lives.
Recalling that it is just after Jesus shows his deep love for the disciples that they turn their backs on him for fear when the authorities draw near. The Good Friday worship service tunes our hearts to imagine what it is like for Jesus to be betrayed by his closest friends and followers when it mattered most, enduring alone the violent words and actions of those in authority who saw him as a threat to their power. Being put to death on a cross like a common criminal when he was exactly the opposite; what Jesus endures on the cross is the epitome of injustice.
Pondering what it means for the disciples and for us to know that Jesus died – choosing the most difficult path to demonstrate his deep and abiding love for us. His death clearly shows that those in power will violently stomp out love if it shines too brightly, mainly because God’s boundary breaking love challenges our preference for comfort. God’s love calls each of us to get down on our knees and wash one another’s feet – even the feet of those whom we disagree with wholeheartedly.
So, this Holy Week I invite and encourage you to worship with us in the sanctuary on Thursday and Friday evenings so that your heart is made ready to receive the miracle of the power of God’s love revealing itself on Easter morning! Be the first to hear the good news at the Easter Sunrise service in the church parking lot at 6:30 a.m. (with music by Ava and Bella) and come to our spectacular Easter morning service at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary (Jay’s last one as our Director of Music) and celebrate the joy that is ours through the love of Jesus Christ!
Never forget that Hope is Alive,
Rev. Amy