No doubt the journey to the tomb was heavy. Perhaps the women approached with heads lowered in defeat and grief. But then they looked up and it changed their lives. The barrier that they thought would be there was gone and what they discovered instead was life.
Will we look up? Will we look up from our complacency, apathy, fear and depression about “the way things are” and be filled with the promise of new life and hope yet again?
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!!!
Tonight is one of our most significant services of the year, spending time reflecting on Jesus’ execution on the cross and the hours leading up to it. This year, we will be focusing our attention on Jesus’ commandment to love one another by washing feet. Pastor Jessie will be washing the feet of one of our parishioners (Thank you Tom D!) and we will also remember the Last Supper together.
This is the day we remember Jesus’ strange parade into the city of Jerusalem as “Palm Sunday”.
Make no mistake–the powers-that-be in that city sat up and took notice at the actions of Jesus and his motley crew of palm-waving followers on that morning. It was a show of the “power” of love and injustice for the “least of these,” in stark juxtaposition to the military might of the Roman rulers. It was a non-violent action featuring a man sitting on a donkey — an action that has offered hope throughout the ages. Will we sit up and take notice of the injustice of this world and work to eradicate it in ways that honor that first Palm Sunday parade?
This is also the beginning of Holy Week. See this page for more info: https://www.christouranchorpc.org/2024lent/
“When nothing else would help, love lifted me!” says the old Gospel song. To be lifted up is to be drawn into the love of God. Jesus drew all kinds of people to him during his short tenure on earth, drawing no boundaries for who was invited into that love. As his hour to die drew nearer, he spread the message that all things would be enveloped in his love even after he was gone. What uplifting message will we pass on to others?
Also this week, our church will honor Mr. Rogers Sunday (his birthday was March 20); remembering the challenging legacy of a man who lifted up millions. He was an ordained Presbyterian Pastor, but his message reached far beyond the bounds of the church. He reminds us to ask the question of everyone “Won’t you be my neighbor?” and to affirm their worth in order to make the world a more worthwhile place for all.
This week, we come to a story in John that contains THE most famous Bible verse in the world (John 3:16)—used as an assurance of salvation for people who believe in Jesus and as a battering ram and altar call for those who do not. But within this soundbyte, there is more. There is a story of a person who is doing well in life, but is still searching for something. Jesus’ words to Him are an invitation; a perplexing and mysterious invitation to the adventure that is a whole journey of faith. It is hard for Nicodemus (and for the rest of us) to accept Jesus’ invitation because this journey is one of light, meaning we would be fully seen and fully known. And being fully loved worth that kind of exposure? How can we carry God’s illuminating grace to our corners of the world, even as we feel our way forward on our own journeys?