Holy Week

It does not feel anything like Easter. I was commenting before the stupendous and uplifting sermon on Sunday that Easter has seemed to sneak up on me this year and if I'm not careful I'm going to miss it. 90 degrees in the first two days of April! Enjoy...Enjoy.

Easter is an incredibly significant holiday, if you will, for Christians. Yet, it seems to pass on by without too much fanfare. Christmas is impossible to miss. With all the gifts, family, holiday movies, nativity scenes and stuff the danger isn't in missing Christmas. The danger around that time of year is losing Christmas in the rest of the hustle and bustle. Easter seems to be a little bit of a different animal. It can sneak up on us and pass us by without even realizing it. There maybe some excitement over an Easter outfit and finding some Easter eggs and an Easter basket, but do we really stop to think about what Easter means for us as children of God? As an aside...one of my children is wearing a pair of capri shorts this Easter...Against dad's better judgement!

I think it would behoove us to find some time this week and truly think about Easter and its significance in our lives. We tend to want to glide right past the trial and crucifixion of Jesus and get to the good part...the resurrection. While I agree the resurrection is the good part, it does lose some of its power if we forget about the terrible path traveled to get there. In Logan, IA, there is a Museum of Religious Arts that I take my confirmation classes to. One section of the museum has some pictures from the movie, "The Crucifixion of Christ" and a porcelain statue of Jesus hanging on the cross with all kinds of cuts and blood. It is hard to look at, but it serves as a reminder just how far Jesus was willing to go to show us he loved us. The thought of Jesus being beaten and tortured for me is also humbling and motivating to make sure I'm living the best life I can so Jesus' actions aren't wasted on me.

I challenge you this week. Find some time to think about the last week of Jesus' life, and especially the last 24 hours. Being aware of the pain and suffering on the way to the cross makes the joy and life of Easter all the much sweeter.