Experiencing Holy Week

Experiencing Holy Week
by
March 31, 2026

We are now in Holy Week, the greatest week of the year for Christians. We will have special services on Maundy Thursday at 5:30 PM and Good Friday at noon. We can learn a lot from Jesus’ final days on earth. His decision to enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy and was an emphatic statement of who he was – he was the messiah. But his kingdom and his message was one of peace and not war. One of love and not conquest.

In first-century Palestine, when a king would go to war, he would ride on a war horse. But when a king came in peace, he would ride on a donkey. Jesus entered Jerusalem in humility and peace. His message was a message of peace. His kingdom was a kingdom of peace. His life was a life of peace. His way was and still is the way of peace. And yet we still live in a very violent world – with many Christians forgetting that they serve the Prince of Peace.

The kingdoms of this world are based on power and money, influence and status, intimidation and fear, force and violence. Jesus’ kingdom is based on love and forgiveness, grace and reconciliation, peace and hospitality, humility and service. Throughout his life and ministry, he showed that he came not to destroy, but to love; not to condemn, but to help; not to judge but to forgive; not to divide but to unite. Yet we still have a hard time grasping what this kingdom looks like today because it is so different from the world in which we live and the news that we watch. But we long for it. And we pray for it. And hopefully we are working for it.

Jesus also calls us to peace in our hearts and in our personal relationships, where we don’t get angry, we don’t get resentful, and we don’t get worked up over little things. He says, “My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” There are a lot of people in our world who are not physically violent, but who are emotionally violent, meaning that they harbor hate, resentment, they despise, they manipulate, and they are jealous. These things do not lead to peace.

Holy Week reminds us that Jesus came to save us. “Hosanna” means “Save us now!” But how does Jesus save us today? Yes, he died on the cross. And there are many different theories of the atonement debated among theologians. But think about everything that he taught throughout his life and ministry.

He saves us from our selfishness.
He saves us from materialism.
He saves us from jealousy.
He saves us from lust.
He saves us from meaninglessness.
He saves us from judging others.
He saves us from self-righteousness.
He saves us from power struggles.
He saves us from anger and rage.
He saves us from addictions.
He saves us from arrogance.
He saves us from fear.
He saves us from hopelessness and despair.
He saves us from fearing death.
He saves us from ourselves.

We need Jesus in our lives because he saves us from all these things that we struggle with each and every day. And the way that Jesus saves us is through the cross. And the cross is a stark reminder to us of how the world often responds to his message – rejection, ridicule, intolerance. Many still don’t have time for it and still don’t want to hear it. It’s not convenient. It’s not easy. It’s not the way of the world. Too many still turn away his message. Let’s embrace it this Easter and allow it to change us!

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