Back in February I wrote a blog about entering into my first
Lenten season. I was not raised in an
Orthodox setting so this was brand new to me.
My family chose to give up television as a group and we all picked out
our own individual “fasts” as well. One
of the things I gave up for Lent was social media (with the exception of
business necessities). In those forty
days I experienced refreshing in every sense of the word, and I honestly don’t
plan to make media a daily part of my life again. . .but Lent was only the first
part of my journey. Our Methodist Church
walks through the life of Messiah from Lent (His 40 days in the wilderness) to
the week of His Passover/Passion and then 50 days later we go into Pentecost.
As the season of Lent was soon to end, last Sunday we “welcomed” Jesus into Jerusalem with Palm branches
and heard the story of Him driving the money changers from the Temple. On Thursday we kept the Passover feast
together as a church family. We sat as if we were with Him
ourselves experiencing unleavened bread, bitter-herbs, and four cups of wine
(okay so we used Welches). During the
Seder we experienced the traditional Maundy -Thursday foot washing in order to
become like our Messiah and act as servants.
On Friday we attended the service of Tenebrae
(Darkness). We enter the dark sanctuary
with only candles lit on the alter by the cross. Our pastor and my husband take turns reading the
story of Christ’s crucifixion from the gospels. . .after each passage ends, one
candle is extinguished. The last candle
that goes out is the Christ candle. “It
is finished”, our Lord has died. . . He is now in the tomb. . .we leave in
silence.
My family does not light or traditional Sabbath candle
tonight. . .we spend the rest of Sabbath thinking about the Sacrifice made for
us.
But then, early the next morning, behold He is risen. He is Risen indeed! Our Resurrection service is beautiful. The dark sanctuary of Friday has now been transformed
in bright colors. We have a special
orchestra in honor of our Lords victory.
Our children are given seeds in the form of a cross to plant and
remember they have life in Christ! Our
Pastor reminds us that Jesus death and resurrection does NOT guarantee us that
we will have no more trials, but it
reminds us that even on the hardest day it’s not our last day. We will one day follow Him into newness of
life.
For many of you this Lenten/Holy Week cycle may seem like no
big deal. I hope that all of you have
been blessed to participate in the fullness of our hope as Believers. But for me this was the first time I was able
to participate in the fullness of Christs Great Passover. Our Great Passover.
Mark 10:21- Take up your cross and follow me
1
Corinthians 5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump,
since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed
for us. 8
Therefore
let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of
malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
What
a beautiful walk we took. . .in the wilderness. . .through the streets of
Jerusalem. . .at the Passover. . .in the garden. . .to the cross. . .and on
into His victory over sin and death!
