I find Holy Week a very strange time. For clergy it is a time of great activity and there is little time, or energy, to think about anything other than the events of that most precious time. Yet, the rest of the world is talking about holidays and long weekends and eggs, etc. The events of Holy Week also leave me drained emotionally, I can’t get through Good Friday without weeping at some point, I do this in private of course – being a good British man. By the time Easter Day arrives I’m about ready to crawl into a dark space and hide.
I’m not sure it would be entirely healthy for the whole population to go through this extreme Holy Week experience but just occasionally I wish that other people would stop and take notice of what happened. It may be a distant historic event but it is also an event that speaks to us today – if we will let it. It is hard to think of better news than you are forgiven, death is defeated and you are going to live in paradise – oh and by the way paradise starts now, at least in parts.
So spare a thought this week for what we celebrate. Take a break from the thoughts of long weekends and chocolate and spare a few moments for Jesus – I promise you won’t regret it.
Here is a rundown of what happens through the week:
Palm Sunday – Jesus enters Jerusalem.
Monday – Jesus clears the temple (probably – although the gospels differ over when this happened).
Tuesday and Wednesday – Jesus teaches in the temple and spends a lot of time with his disciples.
Thursday – Jesus celebrates Passover with the 12 disciples (including Judas). In the evening Jesus is betrayed by Judas, and Jesus is arrested. Over night Jesus is tried and condemned.
Friday – Jesus is crucified
Saturday – nothing
Easter Sunday – Jesus rises from the dead.
Have a good Easter.