Have you ever come home just as your family is watching the tail end of a movie?  You sit down to watch the dramatic climax with them but…

Since you hadn’t seen the first part of the movie, you don’t understand what’s happening or why it’s a big deal.  Everybody else, though, is on the edge of their seats and they are thoroughly satisfied when the credits start to roll.  

You, on the other hand, still don’t get it.  Why?  Because you weren’t invested in the story.  You only saw the resolution of the plot, not how the story began or progressed.

There are an awful lot of people who only come to worship on Easter Sunday and therefore only see “the end of the movie”.  They experience the good news and joy of the resurrection but have not been a part of the earlier plot line.  How did Jesus end up dead in the first place?  Well, we all know he was crucified.  Why did that happen?  We really need to experience that part of the story with him if we are to fully appreciate his resurrection.  

This coming week here at FCC is an opportunity to experience the whole story.  This Sunday is Palm Sunday and we enter the story of Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem to acclimation and singing!  Why did he enter Jerusalem this way?  Why were people so excited?  Come experience Act one, scene one!

The following Thursday is called “Maundy Thursday.”  “Maundy” means “commandment” and is the day when we recall Christ’s commandment that we “love one another” as he has loved us.  

We will worship at the Highlands Congregational Church with their congregation during which we remember the Last Supper he shared with his disciples, his crucifixion on the cross, and his time in the tomb.  Act two, scenes one, two, and three!  

If you attend these two worship services and remain contemplative throughout the week, you experience the plot of God’s redemption in its fullness.  You will feel, really feel, the difference between darkness and light, death and new life.  The resurrection will then take on new meaning for you and by the end of the Easter worship service you will leave our Sanctuary transformed.  Act three, scene one!

Holy Week is a complete story.  If you only come on Easter Sunday, you are only catching the tail end of a wild, heartbreaking, heartwarming, divine encounter.  In fact, our entire faith is based on this week.  To be faithful, then, it is not enough to just know the story and come for the conclusion.  We need to experience it, all of it, and live it as best we can.  

Our worship services from Palm Sunday through Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday give you that opportunity.  You will only really know why Easter is such a “big deal” if you embark on the journey from start to finish.

See you in church,

Rev. Dominic