Unholy Holy Week

The world wasn't quite right this week before Easter in 2017.  Even while Spring is hopefully bursting forth with new life, just one week shows a world in desperate need of redemption.  Famous rap artist, Kendrick Lamar, slated the release of his new album yesterday at 12:00 am, aptly called "DAMN" and it's about the sin of mankind.  Yeah.

So here is my catalog of Holy Week laments:

Starting with last Friday's unlegislated act of war albeit in response to the reprehensible use of chemical weapons on civilians (even at all), things continued to devolve into a week straight from hell.  Palm Sunday began with the news of 2 church bombings in Egypt, ISIS claiming credit.  A Christian man opening fire at an elementary school in San Bernardino on Monday in one more reminder of how far we have to go to adequately address domestic violence.   The misery of Sean Spicer's ignorant gaffe and failed apology during Passover, no less!  A 69 year old Asian physician being beaten and dragged off of a United Airlines flight. Re-upping of the GOP vows to destroy the Affordable Care Act.  Nepotism and murky conflicts of interest without ethics committee reprimands or any meaningful call to address corruption but rather the decision to hide the White House guest list even though evidence of undue influence abounds already.  Warships heading to East Asia's newest nuclear state, Sessions' hostile plans for the border,  Trump being called "the MLK of healthcare" (as if!).   All of this in just one week, with 12 hours still remaining until tomorrow.

Of course, it is not our national struggles alone, I struggle individually with my own sin:  pride, judging, the risk of dehumanizing those with whom I disagree strongly (first in thought, then in words), coveting, putting my own interests before others' and failure of focus on what is truly important.  Lord, have mercy. Christ have mercy.

So how can we call this Holy Week?  The sermon at last night's service was, how can we call Good Friday "good"?   There is only one way anything unholy can be made holy, only one way an evil and cruel execution of an innocent man could be called good.  Man's efforts have nothing to do with what is holy or what is good in the face of such things, so evident in the face of such terrible things is our inability to save ourselves.

Psalm 23 evokes the "cup of God's wrath" poured out upon enemies when it says, "You prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemies."   Those who long for justice cherish the thought of being blessed in front of those who would curse.  But what kind of table was really prepared by Jesus?  A last Passover supper had to be set , a table prepared, and wine poured out as a way Jesus would tell his disciples to remember that his flesh would be broken and his blood poured out as he drank the cup of wrath in our place.  Because of Jesus' perfect sacrifice as the once-and-for-all Passover lamb, we do not have to die for our sins or face God's wrath.  A wedding table is being prepared for us, so that we can experience full and joy in the presence of God, those who were once called enemies are invited to the table as friends.  The anointed One (Jesus) poured out his blood on our behalf, in perfect goodness and unimaginable love for us, so that we may be with Him forever.  This great love story is why we can call this week holy and why we can have hope in the midst of our darkest valleys.

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
   all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.