Holy Week

So Holy Week has come and gone. I had so many thoughts and reflections running through my mind last week, but never felt the compulsion to sit here and write. The funny thing is, when I actually take the time to reflect and write, I find my spirit lifted. There is something so freeing about putting your heart on paper ( or the computer screen!). One of the things I thought about a lot was the redemptive quality of Good Friday. Seems like a strange comment, but it was 10 years ago at a Good Friday that I truly understood the magnitude of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. Perhaps when one is put face to face with the raw reality of Jesus' passion, it has the potential to "force the issue," so to speak. Not that I felt forced to surrender to Christ, but I certainly understood that it is not just enough to do the right things because of a belief in God, but rather we should act out of a relationship with God.

All week last week, I found myself wanting to celebrate Easter, but I had to remind myself that Good Friday comes first. ST JAmes does a great job guiding reflection in this. At the Maundy Thursday service, they draped the entire altar area with black cloth after stripping it of all Christological symbols (cross, Bible, etc) and ended the service by removing the Christ candle from the sanctuary. It was very powerful. There is a sense of emptiness and sadness as you watch all this happen.

But then there's Easter. Majestic and celebratory. Where's the victory, grave? No victory. Death is NOT the final answer. For me, one of the most powerful parts of Mel Gibson's The Passion is Satan writhing in the earth's underbelly when Jesus dies on the cross. On Easter we celebrate Christ's resurrection where he removes the sting of death and Satan can no longer boast of the grave!

David and I have so much to celebrate this year. God keeps telling us to be faithful and trust, so we do. And God keeps providing. It blows me away- literally penny for penny, event to event, God is providing! Great is YOUR faithfulness! Your mercies are NEW every morning!!!!

In His Mercy.