Staying with the Story

Lent has been a season of unlearning.

Through this devotional series we have named the stories of fear and control and worth that we carry.  And hopefully, through this season of self-examination and prayer, we’ve begun to loosen our grip and unlearn these stories. 

And now we find ourselves entering Holy Week, which invites something different.

This week is not about figuring everything out, instead Holy Week invites us to simply stay with the story.

To walk with Jesus into Jerusalem on Sunday, and to sit at the table with him on Thursday night, and to stand at the cross on Friday.

There is a temptation this week to rush ahead; to jump from the triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Sunday to the miraculous resurrection on the following Sunday. 

But the heart of our faith is found in the journey between those two joyful days.

Our faith is built on the God who is with us in confusion, and vulnerability and in the quiet unfolding of a love that does not turn away.

Holy Week is not a week to master the story, but a week for you to allow the story to hold you. Because before resurrection comes, there is a table, a cross, and a long silence.

And God is present in all of it.

Reflection question:
Where might you be tempted to rush past this week, instead of staying with it?