For me, it’s always felt like “Holy Week” is a strange name for the week leading up to Easter. For Jesus, it was a week of torture, pain, denial, and betrayal ending in death. But as we know the story doesn’t really end there, as the week begins with Palm Sunday reminding us of Jesus’ victory over death.
I can’t help but to think the lockdown imposed by the pandemic is in some ways a lot like Lent. Both have had times of solitude, reflection, and self-deprivation. And, if we’re honest with ourselves, the further along we are in this season of Lent, we’re that much more ready for it to be over so that we can celebrate Easter and the beginning of Spring. Much like the lockdown, as we’ve got a glimpse of things returning back to “normal”, we are SO READY for the masks, excessive hand-washing, and social-distancing to be over. We look forward to our own resurrection from the tomb of our own homes.
But as we consider the lessening impact of the pandemic on our daily lives, we realize life will never be the same. We’ve come too far. The self-centeredness of some and the limitations of our culture and our society have been on full display. But through it all, the sacrifices that so many of us have been willing to endure to overcome these limitations have inspired us all. If we peeled back the stories of people unwilling to make even the simplest gesture of concern by wearing a mask, we were able to see an endless barrage of stories of people going well out of their way to help, encourage, and to save others. In many cases even when it meant risking their own lives to do so.
As we reflect on the transformation that we as individuals, as a nation, and as a world have been through over this past year, let us be reminded of the continual transformation we have through Christ not just this week but all through-out our lives, (Rev. 21.5). During this Holy Week, let us set aside some time to reflect on what Jesus did for us on the cross, and may we continue to grow in holiness ourselves as we remember his relentless yet gentle presence in our lives, again & again.
