Tonight is Wednesday, tomorrow night is Maudy Thursday. Maudy Thursday celebrates the passover meal Jesus and his disciples enjoyed in the upper room before the arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. From that arrest, events began to unfold in a rather rapid succession - The First Trial before Pilate, the Trial before Herod, the Second Trial before Pilate, including the 39 lashes and refusal of the crowds to pardon a seemingly innocent man.
Whether you are one of the faithful who believe in Christ's death and resurrection, or if you are one you thinks the Messiah hasn't arrived yet, this week is still a Holy Week of celebration. Those of the Hebrew faith are celebrating Passover, which commemorates the passing over of the Hebrew children by the angel of Death in Egypt. How marvelous these two events are when considered as bookends of faith.
One bookend is Passover, the remembrance and celebration of pure oil and the rushing sound of the Angel of Death passing over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and sparing their first born sons.
The other bookend is the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. This event born to all nations of the world a united view of the Bible. "Love each other as I have loved you", this is the mission which God set before us.
As I walk through this Holy Week, I cannot help but remember a line from my favorite Easter song. "Death, where are your shackles? Sin, where is your stain? They've all been defeated, the Grave could not hold the King,"
Hallelujah for a Risen Living God, who loves us and want to live in cooperation. May the spirit of love that always surrounds us at this time, keep showing itself in and through us. May we be, unashamed of the Gospels.
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