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What do you do when Holy Week doesn’t feel holy?

Easter is the high mark of the Christian calendar. Yes, we have Christmas and its celebration. But Christ’s advent has been shaped by commercialization and media. Even so, it is Christ’s entrance into the world. Christmas is special for the believer, but it is not ultimate. Jesus did not come to the world to live as a baby or as a child. Christmas matters because Easter happened.

Holy Week is our opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ passion and resurrection. Much of the gospel accounts are given to the last week of Jesus (1/3 of Matthew, 1/3 of Mark, ¼ of Luke, and 2/5 or nearly half of John). The last week of Jesus’ life emphasized his conflict with the religious leaders setting up the final act of his life. In this last week, Jesus predicted his future and taught his disciples. He invited them to witness something glorious and eternal. 

We cannot overstate Holy Week’s importance to Christianity. It is the culmination and fulfillment of the salvation we so loudly proclaim.

But this year it feels different. This year it is different. Holy Week 2020 does not feel holy. Many believers across our world will not gather in their churches. They will not dress up in their Easter outfits. They will not celebrate the season with Easter egg hunts, pastel colors, and decorative hats. Because many churches won’t gather, Easter musicals and cantatas will be cancelled or postponed. Easter sermons will take on a different tone. The high attendance day of the gathered church in the West will not be. This year, many of us will celebrate Easter in quarantine and during stay at home orders.

Holy Week does not feel holy. This year it does not feel like a celebration. It feels more like a separation.

We are tense—cooped up in our homes unable to visit, travel, go to school, or even work as normal. We are confused—frustrated at what we’re experiencing. We are afraid—uncertain if we will get sick, if we do, what will happen, and if we can recover from the challenges facing us. We are worried—anxious about tomorrow.

In truth, for many of us, Holy week 2020 may actually be more like the first Holy Week. 

The disciples could sense the tension. For years it had been building between the Jewish religious leaders and their Master, Jesus. Time after time they had questioned him, attacked him, and baited him. With ingenious wit and gracious words, Jesus always managed to silence his critics. This did little but anger them further. 

Upon Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem mere days before the Passover, the disciples could feel the tension.  Jewish lawyers, Pharisees, and other religious leaders saw this as the opportune time. They arrived with questions designed to trap Jesus in blasphemous statements. Yet as before, they were thwarted and left dumfounded. 

The tension of Passover week elevated at that fateful supper. The Lord’s table that he instituted the night before his trial and the day before his death. Judas was sent on his mission of betrayal. Peter’s denial was foretold. And the party left for a time of prayer. Jesus prayed while his followers slept.

The tension in the garden grew significantly with Jesus’ arrest. Led before the Sanhedrin, Pilate, and Herod, Jesus faced mock trials that culminated in his crucifixion outside of Jerusalem. During this part of Holy Week, the disciples scattered in fear, doubt, and confusion. 

The tension became passion when Jesus was beaten, crucified, and unjustly punished on Calvary’s cross. Jesus suffered unlike any man before. Not only did he face the physical brutality of Roman execution, but Jesus carried in his body the curse of God for human sin. Jesus became sin, that we might know God and experience salvation. 

 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

The tension on Calvary became death in a borrowed tomb. Any hope the disciples had that Jesus would come down from the cross and fulfill their vision as a political Messiah, was finished when Jesus’ dead body was removed from the cross and buried. 

The tension of his followers became confusion. How could One who had done so many miraculous things not keep himself from suffering like this? The confusion led to fear. If they would do these things to Jesus, which ones of us are next? The fear led to worry and uncertainty. What will we do now? Jesus was our life for three years. What next? Will where we go? What will we do? 

No, the first Holy Week did not feel holy. The first Holy Week did not feel like victory. The first Holy Week did not feel like a celebration. The first Holy Week did not culminate in fancy hats, pastel colors, musicals, cantatas, egg hunts, desserts, and celebrations. The first Holy Week concluded with an event at first confusing and ultimately more important than any other even ever to take place on planet earth. 

But at the end of Holy Week was a resurrection.

While our situations may cause us to feel isolated and separated this Easter, we can and must still celebrate. Here are some ways you can make this Easter special and unforgettable in your Christian faith.

IMAGINE how Jesus’ followers felt during Jesus’ passion week. Remember how it was during Holy Week for those who first experienced it. But also remember, they met the Risen Lord. Everything changed for them when they saw the resurrected Christ. Everything changed for us when we met Jesus, Jesus who is alive and not dead.

REFLECT on the universal and personal importance of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was for you he died. Your sins are the reason Christ went to the cross. The sins of the world are the reason Christ died and went to the cross. It was for you that Christ rose from the dead. It was for the nations that Christ rose from the dead. We are right to individualize our salvation experience, but we must do so in light of the billions of other individuals who need salvation.

PAUSE all other distractions to make time to worship Jesus. That first Easter gathering behind locked doors with fearful disciples did not feel holy or full of celebration. But when Jesus entered everything changed. You may be celebrating Easter by yourself, with a spouse, or with your children. You may not be with your church family (in person). But you are not alone. Jesus is with you. He is ever present and you can worship him as you celebrate his resurrection.

JOIN other believers (your church) through streaming, radio, or television. While we may not by in the same rooms physically, we can still celebrate together. Here are some links to celebrate Easter with Wilkesboro Baptist Church. You can join us for worship through Facebook, Vimeo, or YouTube. If you attend another church, make sure you join them in whatever capacity you are able to worship.

ANTICIPATE gathering with fellow believers again. While our normal may be different after Covid-19, we will one day gather again to worship Christ. As for my church, we will create our own Easter Sunday celebration when we are able to gather again as a church family. Let the distance and separation created by our circumstances motivate you to participate in worship when we are able to gather again.

REMEMBER that Jesus’ resurrection defeated death. Everyone of us will face death. I’m heartbroken for those church members who have lost loved ones recently and have not been able to have memorials and funerals. I’m heartbroken for the thousands of families and friends who have lost someone to Covid-19. But we don’t have to grieve, worry, or dread like those without hope. Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Jesus is victorious over death. Death holds no power over the believer for Jesus holds power over death. This is the hope of Easter. And this is truly why Easter is Holy, no matter what it feels like.

Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash

Monday Meditation: A Biblical Worldview of Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Last week’s devotional focused on how to deal with isolation. While we are all facing the challenges of social distancing, there is another challenge that is facing many of us: learning to view work biblically during social distancing and stay at home orders.

There are a variety of challenges facing many of us:

  • Some have jobs that are greatly affected by the bans and social distancing (teachers having to create distance learning plans, for example).
  • Some have jobs that ,are not affected directly by the bans and social distancing (essential jobs or jobs that are primarily isolated).
  • Some have jobs that have have not changed drastically in function, but have changed drastically in location (working from home rather and working remotely rather than with employees in an office).
  • Some jobs have either been lost or have had their hours cut drastically.
  • Some jobs have changed in intensity and practice overnight (first responders, nurses and doctors, local, state, and national government, pastors, and counselors).
  • Some parents are now teaching their children at home while dealing with the affects of losing a job (or hours) or trying to manage distance learning and work from home.

I’m not writing this post from the place of an expert. Rather, I’m a fellow traveler on this challenging journey. In the past couple of weeks, my wife and I have had numerous conversations about many of these challenges. We’re dealing with reduced income, distance learning from home for our children, planning a schedule of working from home and the office, and attempting to balance work, family, and school while being in the same house nearly all the time.

While the Bible does not offer a one size fits all approach to every work scenario outlined below, it does offer some principles to guide us. My hope is that the timeless principles of Scripture will shape our perspective on work during these challenging times.

  1. God ordained work before the fall. Look back at Genesis 1:28. Adam and Eve had responsibility for creation (the Cultural Mandate) before they sinned in Genesis 3. God worked for 6 days (Creation) and rested for the seventh day. Work is something good that’s been given to us by God. This principle reminds us that work is a means by which to glorify God.
  2. Biblically, work is not a place to which we go, it is something we do. Not to get too historical, but the Industrial Revolution shifted our concept of work. Until then, many families shared their work responsibilities in a trade. As a result, moms and dads shared the schooling of children, work around the house (farm in some cases), and the trade. It was not until after the Industrial Revolution and really even into the 20th century that going to work (especially for men) became commonplace. This principle has immense implications. See principles 3 and 4.
  3. Work in all of its aspects can be a means of glorifying God (see the wise woman in Proverbs 31). Running a business is not more God-honoring than folding laundry. Teaching children in home education or distance learning is not necessarily less valuable than the work of a lawyer or public official. We incorrectly associate income level or public prestige as a validation of one’s work. Consider that for most of the world, throughout most of history, paychecks have not been the norm. Work consisted of growing crops, raising animals, bartering for items, or trading for a service. While it has always been the case that certain jobs, trades, or careers provided opportunity for more publicity or income, God does not see us through those lenses. They are culturally constructed lenses. This means that doing laundry, cooking dinner, cleaning the garage, mowing the grass, closing a deal, writing a sermon, calling a friend, caring for a family member, reading with a child, teaching a lesson, managing a staff, making a sell (I could go on, but you get the idea), are all means by which we can glorify God.
  4. Whenever you work and whatever you do, you should seek to honor Christ (see Colossians 3:17). Whether you work remotely, have always worked at home, or your job completely changed, embrace whatever job is in front of you today to honor Christ.
  5. Significance, not productivity should define your perspective in all types of work. You might be feeling guilty that you are not able to work as productively by working remotely. You shouldn’t. Productivity tips generally rely on normal, controlled environments. For many of us, our environments are anything but normal. However, we should look for ways to make all of our work significant and meaningful. We should look for ways to be productive and faithful. Yet, we should keep a healthy perspective. While your work output is likely to change, you can still be faithful and significant with what is in front of you.
  6. If (out of necessity) you find yourself working more than normal, remember to find your rest and strength in Christ. Some will be working overtime to manage the challenges of this pandemic (medical personnel, first responders, public officials, etc.). Strength for today and rest for tonight come through Christ. Remember, God rested at the end of the six days of creation. It is easy for the changes in your work environment or the responsibilities in front of you to overwhelm you. Rely on Christ. He is your strength, and he is your rest.
  7. Finally, find your significance in Christ. You cannot look for your significance in your job (or any other work for that matter). If you’ve been laid off, furloughed, closed your business, or shortened your hours, you need to know that God does not perceive you as a failure. Looking at yourself or others through this lends is culturally conditioned. Remember, Christ alone is your significance.

I trust these principles will encourage you. Whatever challenge your facing, know that God loves you and promises to be with you always (Mt. 28:20).

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash