Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6-7)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

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

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. We cling to His promises in times of need. We cling to Him in times of need. Even more importantly, we know that He holds unto us in all time, including times of need. We know that God overcomes all adversity. We know Jesus. We have seen the glory of God as revealed in Christ Jesus.

Recently a colleague posted ‘this is the Lentiest Lent ever.’ In terms of ‘giving up’ and experiencing the darkness of Christ’s death, that is a pretty accurate (albeit linguistically grating) statement. In terms of stripping bare known incidentals that detract from the grace of God, we have definitely gone above and beyond this year. We have given up a lot and we are not sure how much more ‘giving up’ will come.

Christians throughout the world are scrambling to develop creative ways to proclaim and celebrate the joy of the resurrection on Easter Sunday. I suspect we will see some of the most jubilant ‘Easter’ celebrations of modern times when we are able to gather in person. This time in our communal lives will alter our comprehension of the resurrection. Teaching theorists sometimes talk about ‘object lessons’ and ‘experiential learning.’ Our current lives are an advanced course in death and resurrection on a large scale. Our eventual celebration will reflect that heightened awareness and appreciation of the Christ’s resurrection and the power it exerts in our lives.

We all experience death and resurrection on a smaller scale as individuals and families. Paul reminded the Romans, (Romans 6:4) “Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

We have times of personal health struggles, conflict, despair, fear that push us beyond our everyday comprehension of life. There are times when we have to let go of our old ways and habits and experience God in new ways. Individuals and families all undergo those moments that redefine their understanding and experience of life. God constantly brings new life out of death and loss. The resurrections in our lives always follows the crucifixions.

Rarely does the whole world participate share in this experience communally. This pandemic does not discriminate by nationality, ethnicity, faith, or any other qualifier. The tagline of ‘in this together’ not only describes the approach to battling the virus by social distancing, but also our communal experience of death and resurrection. The world the way we imagined it several weeks ago no longer exists. It has passed and a new reality is in its place; the reality that is to come will not look like the reality of yesterday. The world emerges from this experience transformed by its shared experience. The world’s resurrection will always follow the crucifixion.

As Christians, we know that this current reality is not the final one. This too shall pass and another new reality will emerge. This is the experience of death and resurrection. We anxiously await the day when the final reality comes to pass as John described his vision to the seven churches, “And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:5a) Until that day, our days will be a flux of death and resurrection.

As the world assaults us with uncertainty and fear, Christ gives us confidence and peace. We know that His resurrection followed His crucifixion. We know that we have been baptized into His death and resurrection. This means we know and believe certain truths. Death does not conquer life in Christ. God’s grace, mercy, and love prevails over evil. Sin is trounced by forgiveness. The resurrection always follows the crucifixion.

God does not give as the world gives. “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” The peace of the Lord be with you always.

The grace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

The original letter was written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota. This crisis is proving to be such an apt example of ‘living in Holy Saturday’ I decided to publish as is.

Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.  At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.  The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.  After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many.  Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” (Matthew 27:50-54)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

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

The journey marked by the Triduum is the crux of Christian faith. God gave His son unto death. Jesus died. His body lay in the grave. He rose from the dead.

Literally the Latin for ‘three days,’ the Triduum is the bridge between the experience of repentance during Lent and the joy of absolution of Easter. It straddles across Christ’s death and life. These three days are set aside for the church to recognize and commemorate the unity of Christ’s death and resurrection. Oftentimes during the church year, we lean more toward His death or resurrection. Christ’s death and resurrection go hand in hand. The Triduum links those two seemingly polarized events into one act of salvation.

We begin on Thursday with Christ’s command to love one another. At the Last Supper, Jesus inaugurates a new standard for community. He also prepares the disciples for the trauma they are about to witness. In a prelude to the crucifixion, Jesus redefines the Passover and institutes the Lord’s Supper. “Do this in remembrance of me.” It is no longer the blood of a literal lamb that grants redemption, but now it will be the Lamb of God, His own Son.

On Friday, we move forward with the ultimate expression of self-sacrificing love – the crucifixion. Jesus gave up his earthly life for the sake of the world – for us. Jesus Himself foreshadowed this action by teaching His disciples, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) On the cross, He embodies that dramatic and extreme love that God has for His people.

Then we wait. Holy Saturday is a day to live in between death and life. Having moved through Christ’s crucifixion, we now wait for the fulfillment of the promise of the resurrection. There is that paradoxical space where exists simultaneously the greatest sorrow of the crucifixion and the greatest joy of the resurrection. It has been asserted that most of our lives are actually lived as a “Holy Saturday’ kind of existence. We spend our lives aware of the reality of death yet anticipating the hope in resurrection – simultaneously grieving and hoping.

Then comes the joy in encountering the risen Lord. The hope of things unseen is realized. The promise of salvation is accomplished. The choruses of resounding ‘Alleluias’ and church bells fill the air. The wealth of hymns proclaiming, “Christ is risen! Alleluia!” reverberate out of Saturday’s silent vigil.

Those three days, the Triduum, have fused together the everlasting salvation given to us in Christ Jesus. We have now witnessed what we are commanded it is to “remember” – the whole of those three days. Those three days are full of grace and love. The resurrection is moot without the crucifixion just as the crucifixion is merely a tragedy without the resurrection. The union of Christ’s command, love, death, and resurrection…is the power of God.

Our death and resurrection are also inseparable. Paul wrote to the Romans, “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his… So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:5,11)

Paul also reminded the Corinthians, “When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

We may feel like it is ‘Holy Saturday’ more often than we like, but our promise is the entirety of the Triduum. Our salvation is the total sum of the three days. Even when we feel suffering and death, we know we will have peace and life. In death and in life, we hear Christ’s promise, ^“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)

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

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” (Matthew 28:5-7)