Since this is a big week, I wanted to share a post from my church newsletter. It’s brief, but it might help you get in the right mindset for the events of this week. 

The week before Easter, Holy Week, is always a marathon for church people. Our church in particular has something every night this week for people to be involved in, and that’s a great thing in many ways. At the same time, because it is a marathon, Holy Week can be exhausting, both physically and emotionally. It is a journey of highs and lows, from the jubilance of Palm Sunday, to the muted finality of Maundy Thursday, the stark grimness of Good Friday, the numbed emptiness of Holy Saturday, back around to the incredible and awe-inspiring joy of Easter Sunday.

We as people tend to want to jump from one Sunday to the next this week, and avoid the not-so-happy moments during the week. In fact, it is entirely possible to do so. Sadly, we rarely spend much time during our normal weeks thinking about God, the work of Christ, or the teachings we are meant to embody. Why make this week any different? Because this week is a week that changed the world.

Out of each of the gospels, the story of Christ’s Passion and the events of Holy Week take up a disproportionate amount of space in the text. The story of Christ’s death and resurrection has made ripple effects throughout the fabric of history. It is a week in which God was put to death, and in turn, death was defeated. We see Jesus at his most human and at his most divine in this week. We sing. We wait. We eat and drink. We mourn. At the end, we sing again.

When you take the time to be attentive to the work of God in Jesus Christ, miracles happen and the world changes. This week, make Easter Holy.