We are in the throes of the holiest week of our year. These next three days -- what our tradition calls the Paschal Triduum -- encompass the foundational stories and practices of our faith. Jesus gathers us around his table one last time to share bread and wine, drawing us into the mysteries of his own sacrificial love. He gently washes our feet, embodying for us the humility and service of the Christian life, and tells us to love one another as he has loved us. But then, as the powers and principalities of the world rear their ugly head, unable or unwilling to comprehend his way of love and peace, we panic and abandon our Lord. Yielding to weakness and frailty, we give him up to the authorities of the world, to be condemned and crucified. The agony of the Cross exposes and convicts us. All seems lost. His body is carried away, prepared for burial, and secured in a tomb. What now? Then, the unimaginable happens. God refuses to allow the world's hate to have the last word. He is risen! Life overcomes death in the glory of Easter morning.
My hope and prayer is that you are able to live deeply and fully into these sacred stories over these next few days, and most importantly, that on Easter morning you celebrate with utter abandon the joy that is new life in the risen Christ. Please join us for some or all of the many worship opportunities listed here as we live out the great and wonderful drama of our faith.
Holy Week blessings, Pastor Luther