Holy Week greetings in Jesus’ name!

Today is Friday – Good Friday – and things, from the perspective of the disciples, didn’t look good. But just when all hope seemed lost, the women who went to Jesus’ tomb found it empty! There is no doubt that Easter Sunday is the most significant celebration in the life of the church. In fact, Jesus’ resurrection was such a “game changer” that a group of rag-tag disciples went on to lead a movement that would change the world. Jesus and his resurrection from the dead brought new life, vindication, victory, power, and hope into our world. Therefore, on Sunday we will celebrate with great joy the impact the resurrected Jesus can have in your life and mine. We will have four Easter services at CCOP (see schedule) and two at CCM (see schedule).

However, today is still Friday, and we have a bit further to go before Sunday arrives. We still have to go down into the depths of Christ’s humiliation, suffering, and death. To help us do that, there will be services today at noon and 7pm – both at CCOP. Details are provided in the links above. In addition, there is a combined Zoom service at 7pm. The link for the Zoom service is HERE.

Going down into the depths is essential if we want the new life of Jesus’ resurrection. Throughout Holy Week – his triumphal entry riding humbly on a donkey, washing his disciples’ feet, instituting the Lord’s Supper, and most vividly, his crucifixion – Jesus makes plain the path that leads to new life. It is the path of humility, self-sacrifice for the sake of others, self-emptying of positional power, relinquishing the need for self-defense and self-justification, and the steadfast commitment to his Father’s will, no matter the personal cost.

Obviously, we all want what Sunday brings, and we should! Who in their right mind does not want “new life, vindication, victory, power, and hope?” The question has never been, “who wants to possess those wonderful qualities,” but rather, the question is, and has always been, “who is willing to walk down the path of Jesus that leads to those things?” Jesus makes it clear that you can’t have one without the other. Friday comes before Sunday … but oh, how we sometimes wish that it didn’t.

My prayer for us, as disciples of Jesus, is that we will follow the example of our Lord, who willingly accepted Friday, trusting that his Father would bring Sunday. I am persuaded that we should do the same.

Blessings and peace. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
Patrick