Why We Do What We Do...

[Repost]

Holy Week is the last week of Lent, the week immediately preceding Easter Sunday. It is observed in many Christian churches as a time to commemorate and enact the suffering (Passion) and death of Jesus through various observances and services of worship. While some church traditions focus specifically on the events of the last week of Jesus' life, many of the liturgies symbolize larger themes that marked Jesus' entire ministry. Observances during this week range from daily liturgical services in churches to informal meetings in homes to participate in a Christian version of the Passover Seder. Palm Sunday observes the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that was marked by the crowds, who were in Jerusalem for Passover, waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the messianic king. The Gospels tell us that Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, enacting the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, and in so doing emphasized the humility that was to characterize the Kingdom he proclaimed. The irony of his acceptance as the new Davidic King (Mark 11:10) by the crowds who would only five days later cry for his execution should be a sobering reminder of the human tendency to want God on our own terms. Traditionally, worshippers enact the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem by the waving of palm branches and singing songs of celebration. Sometimes this is accompanied by a processional into the church. In many churches, children are an integral part of this service since they enjoy processions and activity as a part of worship. This provides a good opportunity to involve them in the worship life of the community of Faith. Maundy Thursday offers a variety of events that are clustered on this last day before Jesus was arrested. They are commemorated in various ways in services of worship. These include the last meal together, which was probably a Passover meal, the institution of Eucharist or Communion, the washing of the Disciples feet, the betrayal by Judas (because of the exchange with Jesus at the meal), and Jesus praying in Gethsemane while the disciples fell asleep. Most liturgies, however, focus on the meal and communion as a way to commemorate this day. During the last few days, Jesus and his disciples had steadily journeyed from Galilee toward Jerusalem. On the sunlight hillsides of Galilee, Jesus was popular, the crowds were friendly and the future was bright. Even his entry into Jerusalem had been marked by a joyous welcome. But in Jerusalem there was a growing darkness as the crowds began to draw back from the man who spoke of commitment and servanthood. There was an ominous tone in the murmuring of the Sadducees and Pharisees who were threatened by the new future Jesus proclaimed. Even as Jesus and his disciples came together to share this meal, they already stood in the shadow of the cross. It was later that night, after the meal, as Jesus and his disciples were praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, that Jesus was arrested and taken to the house of Caiaphas the High Priest. On Friday he would die. Good Friday: The Friday of Holy Week has been traditionally been called Good Friday or Holy Friday. On this day, the church commemorates Jesus' arrest (since by Jewish customs of counting days from sundown to sundown it was already Friday), his trial, crucifixion and suffering, death, and burial. Since services on this day are to observe Jesus' death, and since Eucharist is a celebration, there is traditionally no Communion observed on Good Friday. Also, depending on how the services are conducted on this day, all pictures, statutes, and the cross are covered in mourning black, the chancel and altar coverings are replaced with black, and altar candles are extinguished. They are left this way through Saturday, but are always replaced with white before sunrise on Sunday. There are a variety of services of worship for Good Friday, all aimed at allowing worshippers to experience some sense of the pain, humiliation, and ending in the journey to the cross. The traditional Catholic service for Good Friday was held in mid-afternoon to correspond to the final words of Jesus from the cross (around 3 PM, Matt 27:46-50). However, modern schedules have led many churches to move the service to the evening to allow more people to participate. Usually, a Good Friday service is a series of Scripture readings, a short homily, and a time of meditation and prayer. One traditional use of Scripture is to base the homily or devotional on the Seven Last Words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel traditions. Father, forgive them . . . (Luke 23:34) This day you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43) Woman, behold your son . . .(John 19:26-27) My God, my God . . . (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34) I thirst. (John 19:28) It is finished! (John 19:30) Father into your hands . . . (Luke 23:46) Some churches use the Stations of the Cross as part of the Good Friday Service. This service uses paintings or banners to represent various scenes from Jesus' betrayal, arrest, trial, and death, and the worshippers move to the various stations to sing hymns or pray as the story is told . There is a great variety in how this service is conducted, and various traditions use different numbers of stations to tell the story. Another common service for Good Friday is Tenebrae (Latin for "shadows" or "darkness"). Sometimes this term is applied generally to all church services on the last three days of Holy week. More specifically, however, it is used of the Service of Darkness or Service of Shadows, usually held in the evening of Good Friday. Again, there are varieties of this service, but it is usually characterized by a series of Scripture readings and meditation done in stages while lights and/or candles are gradually extinguished to symbolize the growing darkness not only of Jesus' death but of hopelessness in the world without God. The service ends in darkness, sometimes with a final candle, the Christ candle, carried out of the sanctuary, symbolizing the death of Jesus. Often the service concludes with a loud noise symbolizing the closing of Jesus' tomb (see The Empty Tomb). The worshippers then leave in silence to wait. Some churches observe communion on Good Friday. However, traditionally the Eucharist is not served on Good Friday since it is a celebration of thanksgiving. Good Friday is not a day of celebration but of mourning, both for the death of Jesus and for the sins of the world that his death represents. Yet, although Friday is a solemn time, it is not without its own joy. For while it is important to place the Resurrection against the darkness of Good Friday, likewise the somberness of Good Friday should always be seen with the hope of Resurrection Sunday. As the well- known sermon title vividly illustrates: "It's Friday. But Sunday's a'comin'!"

Easter Possibilities

"Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut" (Revelation 3:8). The resurrection of Jesus is God's wake-up call to this world. It startles both believers and doubters out of their humdrum ways. Death is no longer the final word. There is more to come. There is a place for us in God's future.

Several years ago the Washington, D.C. (National) Zoo moved from its downtown location to a new site where there was more room. Many of the animals gained larger areas in which to roam. But the rhinoceros, a fairly dimwitted creature, had lived in a cage too long. Despite the new expanses all around, it kept to its old boundaries, wearing away the grass to form an oval path that was exactly the size of its former enclosure.

We who live in a secular society can easily be trapped into thinking that our world of sight and touch is all there is. We are only interested in the "here and now." "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." "Our only certainties are death and taxes." This sort of world could not have anticipated Easter. But when Jesus rose from the dead, he gave reality a new dimension. Can we grasp that amazing fact, or are we, like the rhinoceros, caged by the limits of our own minds?

Jesus' disciples saw the world with new eyes because of Easter. That discovery gave them courage to challenge the social boundaries of their day – to reach out to lepers, outcasts and Gentiles – and to spend their earthly lives for the sake of a greater life in God. They knew that when they took those risks they were not alone. They were already living in the freedom of God's kingdom.

Easter announces new possibilities. The apostle Paul invites us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). To those who feel caught in impossible situations, Easter whispers that they are neither forgotten nor abandoned. To those who are discouraged by the difficulty of transforming society, Easter trumpets that human judgment never has the last word. To those who face death and separation, Easter speaks of life again.

When we place ourselves in the hands of the living God, we discover that the empty tomb is our own. It has become an open door.