Triumph, Turmoil, Transformation

Weekly Word from the Interim Pastor

The bulletin covers for Palm Sunday had three words over the green palms fronds: “Triumph, Turmoil, Transformation.”  While that immediately applied to the events and emotions of Holy Week, it also applies to our lives and to our community life as a people of faith.

The up-down-up of Passion Week fits with a lot of our experiences as we move through life.  We are in a good place, happy, excited, healthy, wealthy, and wise.  Then we get slammed by something, and we are brought low.  We are crushed under the burden of troubles, of hardship, of complications, of Good Friday.  That is when it is so very, very hard to remember that darkness is not the end of the story.  Not that we can ever totally avoid darkness, mind you.  But we do not need to fear it or worry that we will be stuck in turmoil and pain and darkness.  We know-- even as we sit in Good Friday-- that Easter will arrive, that sun will burst through the night of the soul, that the Son will burst from death’s darkness, that love will win.  We know that.  We know that!

A number of years ago a crude bumper sticker was popular, loosely translated for church purposes as “Stuff Happens.”  This is the week when we plaster over it our own version, our version of hope and belief: “Grace Happens, Too!”

The subtlety of Passion Week, psychologically and spiritually, is that we don’t stay at Good Friday.  We know Easter will dawn.  But we can only get to Easter through Good Friday.  There is no other way to the green pastures except through the valley of the shadow.  But we can get to the green pastures on the other side of the valley (whatever valley we are trudging through).  But Easter will always arise to pull us past Good Friday.  We may need to wait it out, but God promises that there will be resurrection on the other side.  We have God’s word on that.

It is the same for a faith community like First Congregational which has been in turmoil.  You have to go through bad stuff sometimes, but the song of Easter is that God will get us through the Good Fridays of church life and brighten them with the sun of hope and love.  Granted, we will be trudging through a bit more of the valley of the shadow as we work through recent experiences here, but I assure you God’s grace is sure and that new life will dawn here in God’s good time.  Good Friday can happen.  But Easter always happens.

Wherever you celebrate it this Sunday, Happy Easter.  Christ is risen indeed!
                                                                                                          
                                                                   In Christ,

                                                                              David


Texts For Sunday Worship:
Hebrew Bible          Isaiah 65:17-25
Epistles                  Acts 10:34-43
*Gospels                John 20:1-18

Note: These texts will be read in the worship service and the one with an asterisk will be used as the focus for the proclamation of the word.