The Importance of Observing Holy Week
Dear Ones,
Like the other Abrahamic faiths (those faiths who claim Abraham as our ancestor – Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Christianity has a an important yearly observance that helps us all to ground ourselves deeply in our faith.
For all faiths, these holy days are meant to be a spiritual journey – one that helps us touch the edges of sadness so that we can come to know joy more and more completely. Jewish people have the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Muslim people have Ramadan (happening now) which culminates in Eid ul-Fitr. And Christians have Holy Week.
I invite you, as your priest, into this important observance. I recognize that we all have full lives. And coming to church is usually a social event, as it should be. But Holy Week is not about being social.
The reason we take this time every year is that it’s important for your spiritual lives. The rituals we participate in during Holy Week are ancient and deeply meaningful ways of claiming your own place in the larger story of God’s hope. The phrase “God’s Love” can be used so often that we start to lose perspective on exactly what that means so we perform these rituals every year because we, as humans, need to be reminded of what we’re talking about when we say “God’s Love.” And as I plan for our time together, I’m praying for you as individuals, as well as for us as the larger community of St. John’s.
All the days and times are listed above and I hope you will come to observe and participate.
In God’s love and mine,
Rev. Michelle |
