Are you anticipating Easter? We are so close, but in some ways, we are so far away. To quote English theologian and historian, Thomas Fuller… “It’s always darkest before the dawn”.
That sort of sums up this week for me. I appreciated Monica’s lent reflection yesterday, and I spent some time today, looking at some of the teachings Jesus engaged in during Holy week. You might be surprised at some of them. Here are a few highlights…
Jesus cleansed the Temple.
Jesus gave us the greatest commandment, and the second…
…“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
Matthew 22:37-40
Lots and lots of parables
So many conversations with the disciples of what was coming.
We have the benefit of knowing what is coming. I hope that knowledge doesn’t make it any less impactful to us this week. Don’t miss the opportunity this week to contemplate in the juxtaposition of the joyful crowd that welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem at the beginning of the week, with the murderous crowd that sent him to Golgotha at the end of the week. May this Holy week collide into you as we find ourselves in both of those crowds. We will do well this week to identify where our hearts cry… “Crucify Him!”.
Jerusalem is much like our hearts, if we are honest about it. Created to praise Jesus as King and Christ yet encased behind stony walls more often than we’d like to admit, we reject him in ways too numerous to count. Though we shout Hosanna and have calendars full of religious activity, we rightly find ourselves in Pilate’s courtyard on Friday morning. Jesus knows this, and still he rides in with unflinching determination and love. It will mean his death, but it’s why Jesus came.
Jesus came for us.. all of us.
Don’t avoid the collision this week. Invite the Spirit to wreck what needs to be wrecked in you.
Sunday is coming.
Let’s rejoice and celebrate on Sunday!
~ Pastor Dustin
