May It Be So!

Our long Lenten journey is coming toward an end, or more appropriately a new beginning.  Holy Week begins this Sunday (3/24) and culminates on Resurrection Sunday (3/31).  We will have spent 40 days in contemplation, reflection, confession, repentance, prayer and fasting.  What has God been saying to you?  What has He revealed about your faith and character?  What changes need to be made?  What needs to be strengthened?  We should be closer to God as the result of our Lenten journey.  And we should long for Holy Week. 

It is a week of extreme emotional highs and lows.  We begin with Christ's Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, and wind our way through the Last Supper, Gethsemane, His arrest, trial, execution and resurrection.  Despite the extreme emotional poles of the week we should be ready for it.  Our 40-day journey on this road of repentance, renewal and reflection should make Holy Week even more meaningful.  Suddenly the birth narrative (Christmas story) becomes alive, raw and real.  Looking at the Cross and the soon to be empty tomb we will affirm what the angel predicted to Mary at the announcement of His birth:

³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1 ESV)

As you face Holy Week and think about the life and ministry of Jesus, what comes to mind?  What is your response?  Are you overwhelmed? Grateful? Cynical? Humbled? Broken? Disinterested? Abounding joy?  Worship?  Whatever our response may be, may God help us to demonstrate the same kind of faith Mary exercised at this sudden and shocking news:

³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant^[f] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

Lord, grant us this kind of faith as the result of our journey through Lent and Holy Week! May this Holy week motivate us to have courageous faith like Mary.