So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord — the King of Israel!”  (John 12:13)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

Despite being forewarned several times during their time following Jesus, the disciples still took the various events of Holy Week at face value. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, they thought the tide had turned and He (& they) were being welcomed with open arms. When Jesus was arrested, they were scared and ran. When Jesus was crucified, they lost hope. They mourned and hid in fear. Jesus had told them repeatedly that all things, including the resurrection, had to happen. They still reacted in the moment. Despite being briefed beforehand, they remained unprepared.

Recently, while starting the ‘Passion of the Christ’ movie for the confirmation class to watch, one of the students asked if it was scary. I jokingly responded, “spoiler alert – Jesus dies.” They then accused me of ruining the entire movie. My response was, “Yep, I do that every year on Palm Sunday.”

As we approach Holy Week, we are not expecting it to end differently this year. As we hear the crowd shouting, “Hosanna!” on Palm Sunday, we already know their cheers will turn to shouts of “Crucify him!” We hear Jesus informing His disciples that one will betray Him, they will all run and deny Him. We know he’s referring to Judas, they do run, and Peter really does deny Him. We already know He will drink from this cup as we hear Him pray to God for it to pass from Him in the Garden. Perhaps most importantly, as we hear His final words from the cross, we know He will rise.

The ‘spoiler alerts’ do not ruin the story. Our familiarity with the events of Holy Week add to the impact the chronology has on us. The story works on us precisely because we do know what happens next. The impact of the betrayal is heightened by the knowledge that Judas immediately regretted it. Peter’s insistence that he will follow Jesus anywhere is tempered by our awareness of his forthcoming weakness of will. Jesus’s heartrending recitation of Psalm 22, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is heard by ears that realize God does not ultimately forsake Him. The stone is rolled to seal the tomb with the expectancy of the stone being rolled away again in three days.

This translates into your daily life as well. You can live lives of faith because you know the rest of your story. As written in First Peter, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

When you were baptized, you were baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. You were claimed as God’s child and blessed with the “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” inheritance that comes with that identity. This impacts your pilgrimage here on earth and the future glory that will come. Every day you experience the living hope that comes through Christ. Each and every time you partake in the Sacrament of the Altar, Christ has promises you “forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.” You are given the rest of your story.

Your story will not always be easy. There will be trials and suffering in this earthly existence. This life will hand you great joy, great sorrow, and everything in between. You will experience many, if not all, the highs and lows that the author of Ecclesiastes describes.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;  a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;  a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Your story will also rest on the promises of God given to you in Christ Jesus. Keeping with long lists. Paul reminded the Romans, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) Nothing described in Ecclesiastes or Romans is capable of separating you from the love you have in Christ. Your life rests in God’s hands. You live and die confident of the following spoiler alert — you live in Christ.

The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Let your light shine. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

…the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. (Luke 24:5b)