Why Holy Week?

Faith

Written by Pastor Renae Wednesday, 24 March 2010 13:22

Holy Week begins with Passion/Palm Sunday and culminates with Easter Sunday. Many churches have several worship opportunities during Holy Week. Passion/Palm Sunday begins the journey of Holy week by remembering Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem and beginning to turn our thoughts to the events of the Passion. Holy/Maundy Thursday and Good Friday delve deeper into the story of the last hours ending with the death and burial of Jesus. Holy or Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper and Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet. Good Friday focuses on the trials and crucifixion of Jesus. Some churches will hold Vigils through Saturday night, times of prayer during the Sabbath when Jesus was in the tomb. Easter is a day of wonder and celebration at the discovery that Jesus has conquered death and risen from the grave.

Why observe Holy Week? It is uncomfortable after all to focus on the crucifixion, isn’t it? Have you ever noticed that after great sorrow, joy seems even sweeter. Without the whole experience of Holy Week, we lose the amazing joy of Easter Sunday. We lose the power of Easter. It is like reading the happy beginning of a book and then skipping to the happy ending avoiding the conflict in between, or watching the opening moments of a movie and then watching the happily-ever-after of the movie. We can’t really celebrate the happy ending without having understood all the characters had to go through to get to that happy ending. We can’t understand the significance of Easter without knowing all of the heartache and conflict of what went before during Holy Week. We can’t understand the incredulity of the disciples or the women who found the empty tomb if we haven’t experienced what they faced the days beforehand. We can’t celebrate the great joy without “witnessing” the great darkness of Holy Week.

Worship services during this week fill in those heart wrenching moments. They help us understand and move toward Easter with a depth of joy we wouldn’t have otherwise. We are forced to ask ourselves the questions even the disciples asked 2000+ years ago. Why? Why this way? What does it mean? And then on Easter and the following Sunday’s of Easter we get to understand and explore what it meant then and what it means now.

Maybe you are thinking, “I know the story. I’ve attended the worship services before. Why again?” I especially challenge you to make the time to come and sit at Jesus’ feet during Holy Week. Yes, we know the story, but there is something powerful about experiencing it anew in community with others every year. The Scripture, the music, the prayers…all elements of Worship work together to make it something new and powerful. This is the reason we have hope in Christ. Let us experience it together.

Holy Week Worship Opportunities

Holy Thursday, April 1  @  7pm at Hardin UMC

Good Friday, April 2     @  7pm at Morton Church

Hope to see you there.

Pastor Renae