Holy Week Reflections

Well, Holy Week has come and gone for 2008. My thought is holy ^^%#$%$!!!!! Is it possible to do any more stuff in one week? I'm sure for my minister friends, they all probably feel a little bit the same way. And I think that was my problem this year.

Easter was good, don't get me wrong. But my experience of Easter this year was that while it was crammed packed with all sorts of great things, it seemed less than filled with the presence of Christ to me. I found myself worrying about what I had to do, rather than focusing on what I was doing. We had great services, and I believe those who worshipped with us were drawn closer to Christ. For me I guess, I was more concerned about the "part" I was playing and making sure that I did a "good" job, than I was about my worship of the King.

Probably the high point for me in all of our services was our Maundy Thursday service. We did something that I'm fairly sure hadn't been done in a long, long time. I know I've never done it with adults before. We had a foot washing and Holy Communion service. The foot washing part was remarkable. Even though it was awkward and unnatural, it was authentic and genuinely worshipful. Especially with my awesome wife who brought along her guitar and sang "Captivate Us" (I think by WaterMark) as accompaniment to the "Sole Searching Service of Sanitation."

I think that's what's so captivating about Jesus. The downward mobility and servanthood of the King of Kings blows me away. Knowing full well that there is coming a day when "Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord," and yet He still stoops to my level, and then empties himself even further to get down on His hands and knees and wash my feet. Wow! What an incredible Lord.

Of course, the kids Easter Egg Hunt was pretty mind blowing as well. I think there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 eggs hidden and found. We certainly had a lot more eggs than we did hiding places.

Sunrise service was followed by a huge breakfast. And that is always good. Our Main Easter worship service was a Cantata performed by our choir and they did a superb job. Our crowds seemed to be a little down this year, but as I pause to reflect on Holy Week, I'm sensing that my Experience of the Risen Christ was perhaps more than I had presumed when I began this post.

Hope your Easter was great and that you find yourselves more encouraged and strengthened today to utter those two little words that fly in the face of the natural order of things: He Lives!