It was the best of times...it was the worst of times...

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

This quote by Charles Dickens from “A Tale of Two Cities” perfectly describes Holy Week for me. There is good and evil, joy and sorrow, beauty and ugliness, light and dark.

Holy Week begins this Sunday, March 28th with Palm/Passion Sunday. This is the day Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem to the cheers of palm waving crowds. “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” But the week quickly took a turn for the worse. Most likely Jesus was staying in Bethany that week at the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. Bethany was about 2 miles outside of Jerusalem.

Jesus returned to the temple on Monday and saw the chaos in the temple and turned over the tables of the money changers and those selling animals. On Tuesday he is confronted by the leaders in the temple for his actions on Monday and they question his authority. On Wednesday is believed to be the day Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. It is that evening in Bethany where Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with costly perfume. Then the Three Days begins. Maundy Thursday is the day we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Here at Peace, we will have an in-person service at 7:00 pm with Holy Communion. Jesus was arrested that night. Good Friday was the day Jesus was beaten, mocked, tried, and then hung on a cross and killed. We will remember that event with an online meditation at 7:00 pm with prayers and candles. Saturday was the Sabbath, and nothing happened as Jesus laid dead in the tomb. Then very early in the morning on Sunday everything changed! Christ had risen from the dead! This was the beginning of the new covenant that would give us eternal life! On Easter Sunday we will celebrate in-person and via “live stream” at 9:00 am. It might be a bit different this year with COVID, but we will have both our musicians on piano and organ as well as a trumpet!

So, I invite all of us to journey with Jesus through Holy Week and experience the worst of times, and the best of times.

See you Sunday!

Pastor Lu