A couple of years ago, John Grisham wrote a light and whimsical book that packed a subtle message called Skipping Christmas. It was a story of a couple whose college-aged daughter was going to be overseas for Christmas. The couple decided to “skip Christmas”. No presents, no decorations and no celebration except for a deal on Christmas cruise to a sunny port where there would be no mention of ol’ St. Nick, mistletoe and yuletide carols. The book’s best parts are how the Christmas-cranky couple has to contend with a whole community of people who just can’t comprehend how someone could “skip Christmas.” (And of course, it ends with some sober and sweet genuine Christmas cheer.)
But I bring this up today in the midst of a different holiday season to point out just how backward things are in our culture as we approach Easter. While the whole country goes on a month-long raging feast to prepare for Christmas, most every person (and a good deal number of Christians), forget all about any time of preparation and jump right ahead to Easter. Most of us skip Holy week altogether. And our Easter suffers for it.
Forgive me if this sounds like a rant. It’s more a musing meant to help us reconsider what we are missing before its too late. You see, while even Madison Avenue insists we prepare early get in the appropriately-pc “holiday spirit” at Christmas time, there is virtually nothing external that will remind us that on Sunday we celebrate an even more important event in human history.
In our school district, there is no holiday this week. In fact, some kids have state tests to take on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Spring break is completely disconnected from Easter at all. And even those of us who are eagerly and genuinely looking forward to a Sunday of church, family, egg hunts, pretty hats and feasts will forget that this whole week is meant to be “set apart” a holy week that takes us on a spiritual journey in the footsteps of the disciples as they followed Jesus to Jerusalem, the Temple, the upper room, the cross, the tomb and then…the unimaginable and unimaginably greatest thing ever.
It is a season meant for pondering, meant for consideration, meant for reflecting, meant to make sure that when Easter arrives, we "get" it.
But most of us will skip it. Even many of the most devout who lifted our voices yesterday and waved branches to celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus on Palm Sunday, will give barely a fleeting nod to the cross on Good Friday, but will go straight to Easter, unwittingly convincing ourselves that the Christian life is all about going from triumph to resurrection with no death or sacrifice needed.
My friends, there is an invitation to a journey that begins today. An invitation to follow Jesus. To identify with his death and by doing so, experiencing his new life. It is a journey that changes us completely if we will let it. Paul put it this way:
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:3-5)
“For IF…” That is, of course, one sobering conditional because so many of us want the resurrection without the death. But it is also a promise that is secure, “if” we don’t skip it.
Tomorrow: “By His Wounds We are Healed”
Wednesday: One Service, Three Nights
Thursday: What’s the Commandment to Remember?
Friday: What only Grace could call Good.
Saturday: The Christian Life in Miniature
Sunday: “That So The Broken Bones May Joy.”
