Most of us have certain patterns throughout our lives. Some are intentional, some are not so much. Maybe a part of your pattern is starting every morning with a cup of coffee. Maybe you begin or end your day with a shower. Whatever it is, each of us has certain patterns or rituals that help shape our lives.
Beyond our daily patterns, we often have weekly, monthly, and even yearly patterns as well. Some of these patterns are shaped by things outside our control, such as the changing of seasons. In the church world, we also have patterns and seasons. Among those seasons is the season of Lent, which we have been observing by setting aside our “alleluias” and gathering for soup, fellowship, and worship on Wednesday evenings.
But now we approach Holy Week, where the pattern shifts just a little bit. Much like in the Gospel stories of the life of Jesus, once Jesus rides through the gates of Jerusalem on a donkey, the pattern shifts. The tone becomes more urgent. And the previous pattern is disrupted, which makes perfect sense for Jesus. His very approach to Jerusalem on a donkey was an act of disruption. He disrupted the expectations of the people who expected a conquering king, instead of a humble servant. He disrupted the commerce of the temple as he drove out the money changers and merchants who were profiting off the temple sacrifice system.
In some ways, we also enter into Jesus’ disruption as Palm Sunday kicks off Holy Week. Instead of beginning our worship with confession and song in the sanctuary, we begin in the courtyard, proclaiming the king who comes in the name of the Lord. And as we enter into that sanctuary, with palms waving high, things begin to change.
This year, we will hear the passion story – the story of Jesus’ betrayal and death – in the midst of this Palm Sunday worship. This, too, is a disruption. What should be a day of triumph turns into a day of regret and loss. As we go through Holy Week, we walk together in remembrance of Christ’s ministry, his command to his disciples to love one another, and then his betrayal and death on a cross. This is a pattern that has been observed by the church for hundreds of years. Each year, the pattern changes a little bit, depending on who helps lead the observation of Holy Week, but the core remains the same. After Palm Sunday, we remember Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s Supper and his commands to remember him in this meal and to love one another on Maundy Thursday. On Good Friday, we recall his passion – his betrayal by one of his closest friends and disciples, his trial, torture, and painful death on a cross.
This pattern isn’t always pleasant – indeed, it’s sometimes painful to behold year after year. But it’s important in our faith journey to walk this pattern of our faith as we approach Easter, because Easter joy cannot fully be realized without the pain of the cross. So as we approach Holy Week, I invite you to prepare with us for Easter by walking the way of the cross through Holy Week, entering into this journey of loss and regret, and realizing the joy of Easter that is revealed through the cross of Christ and an empty tomb.
See you in worship, and may the joy of the coming season be revealed along the journey.
Pastor Chris