April 13, 2022
The early protestant movements, beginning with Martin Luther, were all described as “evangelical.” This label identified that what was distinctive about this movement was the centrality of the Bible; the emphasis on testing practice and belief by the biblical witness. And of course, this was possible because of the printing press, which had, for the first time in history, made Bibles available to ordinary people.
One of the marks of Luther was his insistence on the whole of scripture being our guide, not just selective parts. He famously said one cannot have a theology of glory, without a theology of the Cross. Luther realized that that about 40% of each of the four gospels was the description of Jesus last week in Jerusalem, what is commonly referred to as “The Passion Narrative.” The importance of that particular part of the gospel story was evident in the space it was given in the gospels. In an age when the length of a text was determined by the length of the scroll or papyrus it was written on, you made sure that what was important was given adequate space.
Holy Week is a week that was set aside for the public reading of that story, from Jesus’ entrance on Palm Sunday to his burial on Good Friday. For centuries this week was set aside by the faithful to attend to each part of that story sequentially through the week. Over time, however, people spent less time in church during the week—and some none at all. This meant that people could worship Palm Sunday and then again Easter Sunday and miss the central part of the story, the Passion. Going from ‘Hosanna’ to ‘Alleluia’ with no Cross is a theology of glory without a theology of the Cross. For this reason, many churches have made Palm Sunday into “Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday.” Here the narrative of Palm Sunday is used as an introduction to the worship service, but quickly shifts to the Passion narrative, lest people not get it at all.
We at First Covenant have chosen not to follow this very common pattern. Not because it is bad or wrong, but because we believe that the services of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are accessible in many ways, and that we value the fuller telling of this central story. So we will meet for a simple supper on Thursday at 6:30 in the Fellowship Hall. We welcome your donations to off-set the cost of this meal; baskets will be on the tables. We will remain around our tables for the service at 7pm that will follow, including communion and foot washing for those who so desire. If you cannot be with us in person, please do watch it on-line or archived.
The same is true of our Good Friday service, which will focus on the narrative of our Lord’s condemnation and execution by crucifixion from John’s gospel. It is a time of reflection on the Cross, the very central symbol of the Christian faith, turning a humiliating means of death into a symbol of life; from being hung on a tree to die, to becoming the Tree of Life. We welcome you to join us at 7pm Friday to listen and pray through the story of our salvation.
And of course we welcome you to our Church on Easter Sunday. Come early for the Easter breakfast starting at 8:30, and stay later for coffee and sweets after our service. But if you do nothing else, join us at 10 am for a celebration of Christ’s victory over sin, death, and evil. Come and join your voices as we raise the Dome with a prophetic declaration that the current state of the world is not the last word. I look forward to being with you through the telling of this story that has changed our lives, our world, and our world’s destiny.
The early Christians were not shy about sharing the incredible news of the resurrection of Jesus, declaring him to be God’s anointed, or Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek). Beyond being anointed by God, Jesus had been made Lord of all by God the Father, as we read this past Sunday (Philippians 2:9-11). It is in this spirit that a letter of congratulations was sent to the Covenant Church of South Sudan and Ethiopia. Our own Jim Sundholm was a touch stone to their beginning 25 years ago, and was joined by wife Carol and brother Dick in visiting the church there. The letter on behalf of our church sent celebrating their 25th Anniversary is below.
God’s blessings on you all this Holy Week.
Pastor Todd