A Weird Week

This is a weird week in the Christian year. It starts all happy, at least in some worshipping congregations. Remembering how Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem before his last Passover feast, many churches distribute palm branches while preachers speak of Jesus' "triumphal entry." This particular Sunday, known commonly as "Palm Sunday," is sort of a warm-up for the big day, which is a week away. Easter is the celebration of Jesus' resurrection for Jesus-followers, and it is a kind of Spring "mini-Christmas" for a lot of western culture.

I have found it ironic, both before I was a Jesus-follower and since, that one of the biggest Christian worship attendance days (Easter Sunday) is preceded only two days before by by one of the hardest sells in the Christian year - Good Friday worship. (Good Friday observes the day that Jesus was executed by Roman authorities.) Getting people to worship on Good Friday often presents a challenge. Some communities combine Good Friday services, partly to elicit a larger crowd. Some churches abandon Good Friday worship altogether. There are probably lots of reasons that Good Friday worship is a difficult draw. Sometimes I'm afraid people just want to get past all the hard stuff (the difficult and baffling necessity of Jesus' death) and get to the good stuff (new life and salvation in the risen Christ).

But the good stuff has no meaning without the hard stuff. Without the cross, the empty tomb is just a happy fantasy. Without Calvary, the impact of a dead man walking again has no power. Do something courageous. Spend time at the cross before Easter Sunday. Worship on Good Friday, somewhere, even if on your own.

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.