It's Holy Week. And for Christian religious professionals that means that it's crunch time. This, more than Christmas, is the big show. The time to pull out all the stops.
It all starts with Palm Sunday services, which can include as much or as little of the Passion story as leaders choose. Some purist like to keep it all about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Others acknowledge that people in the church probably won't make it to any of the services during the week and so they include parts of the Passion story so that worshippers don't just go from triumphal entry to triumph over the grave on Easter.
At mbcc, Pastor Bruce decided to go the more purist root yesterday. He made mention of the practice of also including parts of the Passion story but chose not to do so. Instead he encouraged everyone to come out to services at the end of the week to experience the story as it unfolds. Those services include a Maundy Thursday service commemorating Christ's Last Supper with his disciples (complete with a foot washing for those who are willing to go there) and a Good Friday evening Taize service.
In addition to participating in these services, I will also be one of the preachers for the service of the Seven Last Words of Christ at First Presbyterian Church, San Anselmo. This service will be held on Good Friday from noon - 3 pm. These are the hours that Christians believe that Jesus hung on the cross and died. It is a service that looks at phrases that Jesus is reported to have said while hanging on the cross. It draws from the accounts from all of the Gospel stories.
This will be my seventh year participating in such a service - I was invited to preach during my third and fourth years in seminary. And after I preach this Friday I will have preached a sermon on all seven of the last words. I'm excited by this. Yes, my church nerd is shining through loud and clear!
This is an important week and I intend to not let it pass by quickly in the rush of details and deadlines. I just can't experience the profound meaning of Easter unless I observe all that leads up to it throughout the week. So excuse me if I seem a bit distracted this week, my mind is focused on Holy Week.
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This past Friday was Good Friday in the western Christian world. And for the seventh year in a row I was invited to be one of the seven preachers for a Service of the Seven Last Words of Christ. This is a service that lasts from noon until 3 pm - the hours that Scriptures say Christ hung on the cross. The seven words (or phrases) come from the accounts in all four gospels.
Each year when I have been invited to preach, I have been given the opportunity to choose which word I will preach on. And each year I chose a new word. And this year I chose the only word that I had not yet studied and preached on. It is the sixth word: "It is finished."
So here is my complete set of sermons for the Service of the Seven Last Words of Christ:
First words: "Father, forgive them."
Second words: "Truly I tell you"
Third words: "Woman, here is your son."
Fourth words: "I am thirsty."
Fifth words: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Sixth words: "It is finished."
Seventh words: "Father into your hands"
I love that I have had the opportunity to preach on all of the words already in my young career as a pastor. Who knows if I will have the chance to preach in such a service again in the future. If I do, I will gladly accept. And maybe I'll start a new set.
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It should come as no surprise to anyone reading this that I am a huge fan of President Barack Obama. I was an early adopter in his campaign and I was deeply invested in his run for the White House. And when he won in November, I was actually in shock that something so important to me actually came to fruition.
Now, 100 days into Mr. Obama's presidency, I can honestly say that I am still deeply satisfied with my decision. I am astounded by the sheer number of issues that he has had to deal with. Any one of the crises could have proved too much for a new president, but he has had crisis after crisis - both at home, with the economy and health care, and abroad, with the continuation of military conflicts started by the previous president.
I am impressed most of all with the way in which Mr. Obama meets each new crisis that is handed to him. I think the title of an essay in Salon today sums it up: "Mr. Calm".
Sure, there are things that Mr. Obama has done or approved that I don't completely agree with - I don't expect to agree with everything that he does. That is the nature of living in a democracy where contrasting view points need to be balanced. But overall I am highly impressed with the way this presidency has begun and hopeful for what the future holds.
Grade: A
(Go ahead, accuse me of grade inflation. It may be true because I am biased. But I will stick by my grade.)
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