TO THE HOLY AND BELOVED PEOPLE OF GOD,
I’m not going to greet you with Easter greetings yet. We get 50 days to celebrate Easter and only the three days, not celebrate but rather contemplate Jesus’ last days. There is a temptation to jump right to celebration but trust me, Easter celebration will have more depth and dimension when we set aside time to listen to Jesus’ last words, sit with him while he dies and dwell in the power of his suffering and death and wait in vigil, remembering his time in the tomb.
At Monday chapel time with our preschoolers, I asked, “What comes before Jesus’ resurrection?” Blank stares. Before Jesus rises to new life, he dies. And it is a sad, sad day. Stories of grandparents and pets started to pour forth. I witness the power of death in these little ones. I shared the story of the sad day that Jesus died. It’s one of the reasons we gather so many times this week for worship, to hear God’s word and sing together. It helps us with the sad days and gives us more to celebrate when Easter finally arrives.
I invite you to give yourself to the Three Days – which is one continuous worship service. We will use one bulletin to move through these three days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil to help us experience the flow and connection of these holy days. Your schedule may not allow you to attend all the services, so you may watch online later. Take a bulletin with and a hymnal to help you to join in at home.
God has given us a wonderful gift in his Son, Jesus. More than we can comprehend or imagine. Give yourself time with God’s gift. Explore, wonder, ponder, contemplate. All of this requires an investment of time and concentration. Join us in the gathered community to open the gift of Jesus, his life, his death, and his journey to new life. It’s easy to celebrate Jesus’ entry into the world at Christmas. This is a more complicated path to celebration but well worth it as we respond to God’s great love for us. It is kind of like practice or exercise. It’s hard to do but the benefits and rewards show when you do the work, when you put in the time.
Bold Inquisitive Belief Loving Expansively,
Pastor Connie Spitzack
