The drama of Holy Week begins with a parade and ends
with a death. Nothing is as it appears. The celebration and “triumph” of Palm
Sunday prove to be fleeting. The hero being greeted by the cheering crowd comes
riding in on a donkey and will be executed as a common criminal before the week
is out. Most of the crowd, including even his closest followers, will abandon
him. Over and over again his message of love and peace and connection with the
God who is always present will be misunderstood or ignored. In the end he is
buried in a borrowed tomb – a tragic conclusion to such a promising start.
Except that it doesn’t end there. The true message of the week is that things
are seldom as they first appear. We must look beneath the surface and beyond
the obvious. We must see with our hearts instead of merely with our eyes. God’s
ways are not our ways. Jesus was not distracted by the parade, not dismayed by
the misunderstandings, and not silenced by the violence. Through all of the
worst that the world could throw at him he remained faithful and steadfast in
his mission, his message, and his confidence in God. And in so doing he
revealed the path which leads us beyond the apparent tragedy of the week to the
ultimate Truth which awaits us when we dare to trust in God. On the other side
of the fleeting excitement – on the other side of the misunderstandings – on the
other side of the violence – on the other side of the death – there is wild and
abundant LIFE. Will you dare to embrace it – dare to be embraced by it – dare to
LIVE it?
- Roger
(keeping my feet firmly planted
in the flow)
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