Launching Holy Week

Holy Week

I have decided a good way to get started with this blog thing is to blog for Holy Week. I've never done much with the days between Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday. This year my church, All Saints, is having services every night. I hear an award is on the offing for the person who attends the most services, so how can I resist.

The first being the dramatic nature of Holy Week for me last year. During the Palm Sunday service the fire alarm in the parish hall went off and fire trucks came. Singing Ride On Ride On with a dalmatian looking at us made it almost seem like a donkey was there. I didn't think much about it as March Madness and the NCAA final games for men and women occupied the early part of the week. I went out to see the women's final game with the person I was dating at the time. At the end of the evening there was a storming out into the parking lot and driving off in a huff event that left me stunned at first. Wednesday I attemtped to work and go to an IYG event in the evening, where a great conversation with our program coordinator gave me a vocabulary to address my relationship frustration of going from full-time to part-time girlfriend. During the event I received a text from a friend asking me to help with some house stuff on Saturday; however, I planned my 23 mile marathon training run for that day. I later offered to take Thursday off work and help her understand. I spent a beautiful Thursday on her roof sledge hammering her fireplace chimney. She was more than happy to let me sledge hammer while she carted off bricks. Her contractor had said there was no way we could get it down to the roof line in a day. The next morning when he came, my friend said to him you were right. He started to nod to which she responded we got it down to the ceiling. I also spend Friday helping to dismantle the inside part of the fireplace. I worked during the day and went to church in the evening. Saturday I ran 23 miles. Luckily there isn't kneeling in the Easter vigil service. My memories of the time are as much of physical activity as spiritual enrichment. It did note it was a good way to bury a relationship. (If only the story had ended there).

So this year I'd like to have a more spiritual orientation to Holy Week. With exception of work, I don't have other plans for the week. I hope I can make the space to keep the time sacred. I had pre-cursor with the funeral I attended Friday. It was a truly beautiful and moving service. A funeral is a chance to remember the resurrection. Although the Alleluia was buried under a chapel altar for Lent, the word was brought back into play during the funeral. Unlike a Taize service I had been to Sunday where the use of Alleluia felt bad, it felt so appropriate. We keep Holy Week to walk the walk of the cross with Jesus, yet we do know the outcome. On Monday night I spent time with an icon of the resurrection. What was drawing me was the women watching Jesus suffer on the cross. It was in part wonder in how they could watch his pain in light of my own difficulties sitting with people who are suffering / dying. It also occurred to me they did not know the outcome. How much braver and courageous they must of have been to walk through the final hours of Jesus's life and death not knowing something more would come after. In some ways don't we all face situations where we sit and wait or even take action uncertain of the outcome. I wonder how would life be different if I was or we were certain. I am reminded of a sermon I heard on Thurs by Erin Hoagland. She started asking who was afraid of death. She talked about Jesus's death and ended on the note that love not death had the final word. How would life be different if any of us was sure in times of uncertainity that love would have the final word ?