It’s finally spring, well almost anyway. Gray skies are here but sunny ones are predicted, I’ll take em! I planted flower boxes, with the help of some littles. It helped me mentally escape the dreary cold weather we’ve had. We sang too,
“Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness, my God, that is who you are…”
Something eternally precious about a 2 yr old who sings worship songs.
It’s also Holy Week. The week that leads up to the world wide celebration of Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem, his last supper, his arrest, his torture, his crucifixion, his death, his burial and finally,
RESSURECTION SUNDAY
As much as I love the seasons and their symbolic, cyclical reminders of life after death, church calendars have never really been that significant to me. Easter was for baskets and new dresses, and of course attending church and singing,
“Christ the Lord is Risn’ To-da-ay, Ha-a-a-a-ah-lay-a-loo-oo-ya”
As I adulted and had children I grew to despise easter bunnies. They represented everything commercial about Easter, cheapening the significance of the cross. Demeaning the sacrifice of Jesus’ suffering. As dearly as I love the Christmas story, if Jesus hadn’t suffered died and risen, we’d be toast as believers. Being born was only part of his purpose,
Sacrifically laying down his life was everything
So, Holy Week…
The very word holy has been so mis-used and co-opted through the years. The Biblical definition of holy means,
To set apart for purpose
In OT times particular vessels and instruments in the temple were “holy” because they were set apart for service in worship of God. Priests had cleansing rituals they observed which deemed them “holy” for service to God. The people observed particular rituals, holidays and festivals offering sacrifices to present themselves “holy” as a people before God. Today, Jewish communities still celebrate “The High Holy Days”, Passover being the one coinciding with the Christian’s Easter
When Jesus came he turned holiness on its head. He challenged all the legalistic laws that the Jews had invented to make themselves even “holier” than God required. He fulfilled all of the OT laws while demonstrating God’s true heart concerning holiness.
At the time in history when Jesus entered the world, the Jews had so many rules for observing the sabbath that even their leaders couldn’t keep them without abusing innocent bystanders. Jesus came and said:
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:27 NIV
Historically holiness has been used to segregate people of faith from pagans. The hierarchy in liturgical churches wore vestments, designating them set apart for service. Women wore head coverings in deference to Paul’s teachings in the NT. Men and women dressed gender specific. The Christian church was recognizable.
The great missionary to China, Hudson Taylor broke with Victorian church tradition when he adopted Chinese dress to be more available to the Chinese people he went to. He took some flak for it too but it spoke to the culture in a way that no one had before. His name is still on the lips of Chinese Christians.
When the 70’s rolled in and guys started growing their hair long rebukes prevailed. Facial hair was seen as rebellious. Women took hits for wearing pants instead of dresses. And no one, no one ever tippled a glass of wine. It just wasn’t done.
All in the name of “holiness”
In my neighborhood growing up, lived a family of boys so rowdy we thought their house might burn down one day. Mom wore below the knee house dresses, kept her hair long enough for a bun in back and never wore makeup or jewelry. My parents told me they went to a “holiness” church. The association of a homely mother with uncontrolled children belonging to a “holiness” church left a lasting negative impression in my mind.