Holy Week

Here is a brief recap of our Holy Week celebration:

Sunday

We begin in the garden in Genesis 1 and 2. On the table are five lit candles. All is pure and holy and good, until Genesis 3. We blow out a candle as man sins, is banished from the garden, and God's redemptive plan begins.

Monday

We discuss Abraham and God's promise to him. We read about Abraham leaving his country and the miracle son God gives him and his wife Sarah, through whom all the nations will be blessed. We blow out another candle. The light decreases.

Tuesday

The nation of Israel is captive in Egypt, but God raises a deliverer in Moses. God leads the nation toward the promised land, feeds them with manna, and has them build an ark and a tabernacle, a place where heaven and earth come together. Yet another candle is blown out.

Wednesday

We read about David, a man after God's heart. God promises David a kingdom that will last forever. We blow out the next to last candle.

Thursday

We are in the upper room. Preparations have been made for the Passover meal. In the midst of the meal, the Passover lamb himself serves his disciples the bread and the cup.



As Jesus and the disciples leave for another garden, Gethsemane, we blow out the final candle. It is dark. The hour has come.

Friday

In darkness, we read of the arrest, trials, and the trip to the cross. "It is finished." The earthquake. The veil ripped from top to bottom. The pierced side. The hasty burial. The stone rolled across the mouth of the grave. The disciples in exile.

Saturday

A day of lament. Disappointment. Despair. Fear. Uncertainty. Questioning. Doubt. Anger. Shame. Grief. Brooding. Darkness. Silence.

Sunday

He is Risen! The tomb is empty! He has conquered death and the grave! We venture out into the coolness for breakfast and a trip back to the gardens, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, as we read and share the resurrection. The sun is bright, and we warm ourselves in its light, and in his light. Hallelujah!