Our Holy Week Journey
“The power in Jesus’ story is that it is our story as well”
“… We must always remember those people who are experiencing their own Good Friday moments in their lives - moments of heartache from loneliness, of pain from discrimination, of suffering from poverty, or even of death from war and violence”
Life is a journey… that’s kind of cliché, right? But it’s a cliché because it fits our experience so well, I think. We travel from one day to the next, from one year to the next, moving through time, and sometimes even moving through space, from one place to the next.
We’re reading Luke’s gospel during worship this year, and in this version of Jesus’ story, he’s a man on the move, particularly in the latter half of the gospel. He’s making his way to Jerusalem, where he knows what awaits him - the events that we celebrate in Holy Week.
Our Holy Week celebrations and worship are a journey, too. We remember Jesus traveling from the highs of Palm Sunday, to the seeming ordinariness of Maundy Thursday, to the depths of Good Friday, and finally to new life and joy beyond our expectations on Easter Sunday.
That’s quite a journey packed into one week, and it’s quite a story, one that has survived over 2000 years. Why is that? And why do we tell the same story again and again every year?
The power in Jesus’ story is that it is also our story as well. Maybe we haven’t finished the journey yet, but we’ve all had high moments in our lives, like Palm Sunday, when everything and everyone around us seems right.
We’ve all had moments that seem ordinary, like Maundy Thursday, when something as simple as a meal is actually a moment of incredible grace and love, if we’re open to it.
We’ve all experienced moments of struggle, pain, or suffering. In a way our own unique Good Friday experience. Maybe we were wrapped in grief over the death of a loved one. Or perhaps we or someone we love was dealing with a serious medical problem. Or maybe it was just a moment in the middle of the night when our fears and our stresses came crashing down on us.
No, our story and our journey isn’t over. But the final leg of Jesus’ Holy Week journey tells us how ours will end. The depths of Good Friday do not have the final say. Resurrection is not only possible, but it’s a reality. Jesus rose to new and eternal life, and we will as well. God’s love is stronger than anything, even the one thing that seems inevitable… death.
In just a couple weeks or so, we’ll once again be taking the Holy Week journey with Jesus. This year, we’ll have the blessing of traveling not only with our family here at Pilgrim, but also with our brothers and sisters at Riverview Park Christian Church and Zion UCC.
Jesus’ story - his Holy Week journey - is our journey, too. That’s true. But because it is our journey, it is also the journey of our sisters’ and brothers’ in this world. People close to us and people around the world are, as you read this, having their moments of celebration, ordinariness, and suffering.
In particular, we must always remember those people who are experiencing their own Good Friday moments in their lives - moments of heartache from loneliness, of pain from discrimination, of suffering from poverty, or even of death from war and violence.
Jesus gave his life in love, service, and sacrifice so that we all may know new life in this world and in the world to come. As his followers, we also are called to give our lives in love, service, and sacrifice, so that our sisters and brothers who are experiencing Good Friday on their journey can know some measure of healing and new life in the here and now.
May the coming Holy Week be a journey of healing and joy for you. I look forward to seeing you as we make that journey together.
Peace in Christ,
Pastor Dan
