MESSAGE TO AN EMPTY CHURCH (DAY 1)

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Log Church,

I hope your day yesterday was a good one. It was a unique Palm Sunday for sure, and one with gathering restrictions that I am quite positive none of us would like to see repeated for another Palm Sunday. 



The original Palm Sunday was all about gathering. People gathered to praise Jesus. They gathered to shout “Hallelujah. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Yesterday, our Palm Sunday was instead a more private one.

Just as our Palm Sunday was yesterday, this entire Holy Week with its continuing gathering restrictions will be a different one than any of us have ever before experienced. We do not prefer these to be repeated. Nevertheless, we are here. We must see what we can gain from these unique times rather than what is lost.

After the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem by Jesus on the original Palm Sunday, there is an interesting little observation added in the gospel of John 12, verses 20 and 21.

Most of the people who were part of the great worship on the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem were Jews—perhaps they all were Jews. But after that great gathering of people, we see that there were also others who were not from Jerusalem who had also come to the city that day to worship, people who were not Jews. These were Greeks.

It is not clear if these Greeks were among the great crowds of the day. They may or may not have been part of the great celebration of the Triumphal Entry, but it is only after the great celebration is over that we hear of them.

It may have been later that day or even on the next day after all of the hubbub had subsided— but it is important for us to see that it was only after the great gathering that they came to one of the disciples in private, and asked of him the simple favor.

“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

In some ways, we have a unique opportunity this week to see Jesus in ways that we perhaps have not have had in other Holy Weeks. In other years we have church gatherings, special services, musicals, cantatas, and dramatic plays, besides other gathering types of events.

Formerly, this week has also been filled with a great multitude of mere “trappings” of the season. Easter parades, Easter eggs, Easter bunnies, Easter bonnets and Easter “buy me” items.

This Holy Week all of those things have been taken away from us.

This Holy Week has been reduced to the simple request of the Greeks. It is a request that we speak in private:

“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”

Let your request also be a private one this week. Let it be the same as the Greeks on that day:

“I wish to see Jesus.”

************************** 

Blessings to all,

Don and Vivian

(please check your email each day for another thought concerning this unique Holy Week)

www.donaldrhody.com