By Pastor Nissa Peterson
Chatfield and Root Prairie
Lutheran Churches
At the beginning of Holy Week, the church prepares to experience the stories of Jesus’ walk to the cross. These stories can be really uncomfortable to experience. For those of us with young children, we wonder how our kids might be scared by the stories, and ask really hard questions that we don’t know how to answer.
It would be really nice to just skip over these painful stories and run right to the joyful celebrations of Easter and the empty tomb. But our faith shows us the importance of walking THROUGH the darkness.
For example, If we ignore our grief when a loved one dies, the grief doesn’t disappear. It comes out sideways and continues to affect us until we walk through it and process it in healthy ways.
If we ignore the emotionally challenging stories of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and crucifixion, they don’t disappear in the light of Easter’s empty tomb. In fact, the wonder of Easter shines even more brightly after emerging from the darkness of the tomb. Walking through the darkness of those stories and the tomb helps us to feel the enormity of the gift Christ offers through his journey.
The celebration of Easter comes after the darkness and pain of the tomb. We cannot skip over it. We cannot have our faith be a highlight reel of only the happiest and most uplifting moments. Our faith accompanies us through every hard and painful moment. As we remember in Psalm 23, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with us.
Stepping into the challenges and realities of faith and life during Holy Week reminds us throughout the rest of the year that Christ accompanies us into our own valley, into our own tombs, and into the joyful celebrations of our own Easters.
This year, I pray that you can lean into the Passion story, trusting that God accompanies you into the darkness and through to the light on the other side. Let the challenge of these stories give you strength as you face real life challenges, too. Trust from this narrative that God goes with you to the hospital bedsides, the painful family dynamics, the mental health challenges, the financial stress, and every single shadowy valley we walk through.
May you know God’s continual presence throughout this Holy week and beyond.
Peace, Pastor Nissa