Seeking Through Holy Week

We are now journeying through the fifth and final week of the Lenten Season.  From here we celebrate with our palm waving on Palm Sunday before the hard seeking through Holy Week to another celebration on Easter, the Day of Resurrection.  However, there is lots in between those two celebrations that we often miss. We spend 5 weeks preparing our hearts, minds and souls for this, we can’t just jump from the parade in Jerusalem to the empty tomb in the garden.  While Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services share the hard stories of Jesus’ last supper, arrest, and trail along with the walk to Golgotha for the crucifixion, what about all the events earlier in the week?  A lot happened, Jesus is believed to have spent the early days with Mary, Martha & Lazarus in Bethany, just down the road from Jerusalem.  Eating meals, visiting, sleeping overnight between trips into Jerusalem. Monday, for example, when Jesus cursed the fig tree for not bearing fruit, then tipped over merchant tables in the temple courtyard, and maybe feet were washed with expensive oil and dried with hair.  Tuesday finds the religious leaders trying to trap Jesus, yet he escapes and takes the disciples to the Mount of Olives for heavy words revealing destruction and the end of the age. Also, the conversation of Judas Iscariot willingness to betray Jesus. And on Wednesday he seals the deal with the Sanhedrin to turn Jesus over in the days ahead.  Wednesday was a preparation day for the Passover, perhaps back in Bethany, a day of remembering, sharing the stories, preparing the food for what would become known as the Last Supper on Thursday. I invite you to dig into the other stories of Holy Week found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke and fill in the events that were experienced between the celebrations.

Blessings on your Holy Week Journey,

Sandy Safford

Faith Formation Coordinator