Last night as I logged onto a Zoom meeting two minutes before it started without a second thought, I was struck by how far we have come since this time last year.
Approaching Holy Week 2021, we are different people than last year. A year of pandemic life has brought us through a sweeping variety of emotions and experiences. From the fear and uncertainty the virus delivered as the first impact on our lives, to the new skills we’ve learned (technology and mask wearing), to the courage and kindness of neighbors helping each other, to the grief of losses big and small, through the long months of wondering when life will feel more normal again, to now. We have grown and adjusted as individuals, families, schools, workplaces, and as a congregation.
I hope that you have felt, as I have, that God has been with us, guiding and strengthening us along the way. My hope is that this new framework of life and learning will enliven your reflection of Christ’s journey on his final week of life. As we worship this week remembering the celebration of Palm Sunday, the poignant last gathering of disciples with foot washing and the Last Supper, to Jesus’ fervent prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the ridicule and brutality of the authorities on Good Friday, to the silence of Saturday as Jesus lay lifeless in the tomb, let us intentionally make room this year first to feel the diverse emotions of the week. Let us not rush on our way to Easter joy. For the depth of God’s love for us can be found in this in between time.
May God’s richest blessings be yours as Holy Week begins! Stay safe and well.
Rev. Amy