Why Holy Week Is Important

Few weeks are more important in the ebb and flow of the calendar of the church than Holy Week, especially this year. It is an uncertain time. We experience it economically. The stock market swings up and down as tariffs are enacted or relaxed, depending on the day. For those on fixed incomes or considering retirement, losses to savings invested over a lifetime produce anxiety for the future. 

It is a difficult time for many families. Many report that the elimination of government programs and funding to agencies that serve the most vulnerable are having a real impact. Food banks are short of key items. Nonprofits with limited funds are being asked to care for the food security needs of children or the housing needs of families who have fewer places to turn.  

The stability of the government feels uncertain. In a time of remarkable change,  departments are eliminated and large volumes of workers in vital services such as social security are released. 

We have concerns for our security and the welfare of others.  

This year, we find special meaning and comfort in three key moments of Holy Week that faithful Christians will experience. 

Holy Thursday 

“Maundy Thursday” derives from the Latin word “Mandatum”, or “commandment.” At the last supper, Jesus told his disciples, “A new commandment I give you: That you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). When we remember the Last Supper, we join the disciples in their uncertainty. We find unexpected comfort and joy when we show up for each other. We sit in a pew, surrounded by the loving and lumpy people that are our church family. We greet new people at the door and introduce them around, wondering how the Spirit got them here. Together, we share in the music, liturgy and message. We move like a congregational amoeba to receive the elements of the sacrament. Side-by-side, we pray at a kneeling rail or in a pew. All of this works to remind us that God is with us, and we are with us. Like the first disciples, we need to know that we are not alone, especially when uncertainty feels the most uncertain.  

Good Friday 

The hard texts are read from the bible. Jesus is arrested, spat on, cursed and made to carry a cross up a hill where nails are driven through his hands. He is crucified. People taunt him. The incarnation of God, who has healed the sick, cared for the poor and emotionally ill, and shared wisdom that has transformed lives, is tortured to death. This is considered just by an empire and a religious community within it. This Friday is considered “good” because in his suffering and death, we find our forgiveness. We find the love of Christ that overcomes hatred, contempt, and the sin of injustice. Good Friday reminds us that if our Lord suffered, so we will suffer. If Jesus was wounded for others, we must not be surprised when we are wounded for others, and by others. This comes with following the commandment of Jesus to serve, love, and extend compassion, empathy and forgiveness to others. Many hope that knowing Jesus will allow them to avoid hardship. The truth is that we pray a little too often for God’s blessings. Good Friday reminds us that we must also carry God’s burdens. We will experience hardship that comes when we faithfully follow Jesus Christ and make him Lord of our lives to the exclusion of all others. If Jesus hands endured nail-marked wounds, our palms can at least have a few callouses born of putting our hands to the plow of service in his kingdom.  

Easter Sunday 

Nobody went to the tomb that held the body of our Lord expecting anything other than evidence of his death. Instead, they found the news of the resurrection. When the disciples realized that Jesus had overcome death, they knew he was the Christ. They gained an unwavering faith in his capacity to grant anyone new life in any situation. They no longer feared death, knowing the promise of eternal life. Their time did not change. Rome did not return control of their nation. Religious leaders did not become suddenly favorable to the teaching of Jesus. They did not know what to do next, but they knew that the resurrection was a new power and a new message in a world of old problems. Knowing that Jesus was truly the Lord, they worshipped him by taking up their own crosses, as they continued to follow him. 

These three experiences are what all of us need this year. In a time of insecurity, it is wise to draw near in faith. Be faithful to the experience of Holy Week and you will find that God is indeed faithful to you. 

Holy Week brings fresh meaning to Jesus’ statement, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV)