When everything falls apart, this week is for you.
If you are over of the age of say, six, then you most likely know what it’s like to have life pull the rug out from under you. Things are going along just great and then out of nowhere disappointment, disaster or disease strikes (sometimes all three at once). These are times when it can seem like hope has abandoned us. Times when we make choices we never thought we would make. Times when we are sure that darkness has conquered the light, and that any light we might see is most likely the headlight of an oncoming train.
Holy Week is here. It is a story that begins with Jesus’ joyful entry into Jerusalem and seems to end with his death on the cross. It is the story of triumph turning to tragedy. Jesus is given a hero’s welcome, and then betrayed by a friend, unjustly accused by his own people and put to death at the hands of an oppressive regime. Thanks be to God that we know something the people who lived through that week with Jesus didn’t know. Death is not the end of the story.
Because of what God has done for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we know that forces that seem to be set against us will not defeat us. Despair cannot conquer hope. Darkness cannot overwhelm light. And death will never have the last word.
For anyone who has ever been betrayed by a friend,
For anyone who has ever been the victim of injustice,
For anyone who is scared of what the people in charge might do next,
For anyone who is overwhelmed by the presence of evil in our world,
For anyone who, like the thieves who hung on the cross next to Jesus, is a victim of your own choices,
For anyone who needs to know that you are not in this alone…
This week is for you. Let the journey begin.
Rev. Anne Russ is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA), currently based in New York City. Doubting Believer provides tools and encouragement for the rollercoaster ride of your faith journey. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram and YouTube. You can also follow on TikTok. Get emails to keep up with all that is happening.
