When you hear the word holy, what comes to mind? Holy cow! Holy smoke! Or maybe it's not an exclamation, but an attitude, like holier-than-thou. Often when we use the word holy we think of it in terms of being self-righteous or morally superior. But holy does not actually mean righteous or moral. It actually means “set apart”, dedicated to, or consecrated for, God's purposes. So we talked about living a holy life, we certainly hope that it will be a life that is godly and morally upright. But what it really means is to live a life set apart for God. It is to live in such a way that we have dedicated ourselves fully to Him.
This week is Holy Week. A week cannot be morally superior or self-righteous. To say that this is a holy week is to say that it is a week set aside for, dedicated to, the things of God. This is a week when we are particularly mindful of our faith and of the sacrifice and saving work of Jesus. I have to say that from me, this has felt very much like a Holy Week. Having gone through this 40-day journey of Lent in order to prepare spiritually, this has really felt like a week set apart for the things of God. In the next few days, as we experienced Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and ultimately the celebration of Easter, that experience will only intensify.
On Thursday at 6:30 p.m. we will hold our Maundy Thursday service at our Sandown campus. Through this service we will remember, and experiencing anew, the events of Jesus final evening before his death. We will walk through the anointing of Jesus, the Passover meal, the garden, the betrayal, the arrest and the trial. We will celebrate communion as we remember the Last Supper. Then on Friday we will hold our Good Friday observance at 7 p.m. at our North Shore campus. In that service we will journey with Jesus down the Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering. We will remember the nails and the crown of thorns, the cross and the temple curtain.
These are not easy services as we remember the struggle and the suffering that Jesus faced on our behalf. But they are important. We cannot fully experience the joy of the resurrection without experiencing the struggle of the cross. So my hope for all of us is that this would truly be a holy week. A week that we set aside for God's purposes. A week focus on the sacrifice of Christ. I would encourage us this week to set aside a little extra time for prayer and the study of God's word. And if possible, I hope you will set aside one or both evenings of these special services so you can join us. And I pray that you are able to experience Christ in a more powerful way than ever this Holy Week as we draw near to a celebration of new life.
Have a blessed week! I look forward to us being together for our special services and on Easter morning.
Love you all,
Pastor Steve