LENT: “Holding On”

We’ve made it. We’ve arrived. The last week of the season of Lent is here. In this season of Lent, we’ve been holding so many things. We’ve been watching, waiting, listening, walking, wondering, grieving, and feeling so many things. Now, this week, more than any other— I find myself in-between. Preparing to share a message for Monday (April 14) at First United Methodist (our neighbors around the corner), I felt like I was between the “Hosanna!” of Palm Sunday and the “Crucify!” of Good Friday. There are times in life when the “cheers” change. It can be scary and uncertain.

Those of us who have attended church for years, or even decades, are aware of the “Holy Week Story.” Rarely are we surprised when the “Hosannas!” of Palm Sunday become the “Crucify” of Good Friday. This is the story. This is what happened. It’s part of our faith. It’s familiar. Does it shock us? Is it painful? Or, have we become too callused to allow the narrative to cut very deep? There’s no judgment in my questioning— just wonder and curiosity. In the story of Jesus, we know what to expect.

If we know what Jesus endured, in the name of discipleship and obedience to the will of God, why do we bristle and despair in similar circumstance? For Jesus, the cheers of the crowds changed in just a few days. In our own lives we can experience similar shifts. On the playground during childhood, “You’re my bestest friend!” is quickly replaced with, “I’m not inviting you to my party.” In the office, “You’re hired— welcome to the team!” can suddenly become, “We’re not sure your skillset is a great fit for this position any longer.” At home, “As long as we both shall live,” can sound like, “I don’t think this is working.” For Christ, the cheers changed. In our lives, the cheers change.

Fortunately, the shifting values of popular opinion, the potentially erratic adjustments of retirement portfolios, and the precarious nature of prominent positions DO NOT DEFINE US. The good news of Holy Week is that Jesus’ death was NOT a failure.

In our lives, created, worthy, valued, important, enough, and loved are not temporary titles, but incontrovertible identities. May we listen to the voice of the One whose cheers never change. Amen.

Pastor Adam