Glorious Holy Week and Easter Sunday.

 

Most Christians across the globe refer to the week that begins with Palm Sunday and ends with Easter Sunday, as “Holy Week”. We follow Jesus from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to his cross, death and burial and his glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday.

 

Resurrection (Easter) Sunday is the high light of our festivities and is the wonderful celebration of the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It speaks of Jesus being ready to ascend to heaven to represent, serve, redeem and save his people at God’s right hand as Head and King of his Church.

 

Because “holy” means that something is set apart for God, Holy Week can only belong to the celebration of our God and his Christ by remembering the central truth of the gospel that only Jesus Christ, the Son of God, redeems and saves us from our sins and judgement by his atoning death and victorious resurrection.

 

Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the Sunday before his arrest. The entry is mentioned in all four Gospels, which indicates the significance ascribed to it in the church during the times when the Gospels were written. (Mark 11:1–11, Matthew 21:1–11, Luke 19:28–44, and John 12:12–19).

 

What is Maundy Thursday about? We remember the darkness of the night when Jesus experienced the anguish and fear of Gethsemane, was arrested and tried by the religious leaders and the Roman political authorities. It was the night when he was betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter. How can we ever truly see the love of Christ, if not within the context of the severity of his sacrifice?

 

Good Friday is a solemn day of remembrance, because both the sins of the world and our personal sin caused the punishment, death and suffering of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Good Friday is a somber commemoration, but it is not without its own joy, for while we want to contrast the joy of his victorious Resurrection to the solemn sadness of Good Friday, the gravity of Good Friday is a prophecy of the hope of Resurrection Sunday. We always observe Good Friday, well knowing that Sunday is coming!

 

Resurrection (Easter) Sunday speaks of the glorious crown of all Christian worship that inspires every Sunday worship service of the year, where we are equipped to live for the glory of God every day of our lives, until the end. You could call it “the most important Sunday of the year”. We should all call it the most inspiring Sunday Worship one can celebrate!

 

Resurrection Sunday, and therefore every Sunday, every first day of the week, is a feast of worship, praise and respect, because Jesus triumphed over death and over all our enemies.