Over the next few weeks, we will celebrate the highest holy days of the year in the events leading up to the Passion and resurrection of Christ, and what immediately followed. Because we commemorate these events in the life of Christ every year, the words of stories may blur together or become mundane. In order to refocus our minds and hearts on these culminating acts of the incarnation, quotes have been lifted directly from Scripture to emphasize.

The first Sunday commemorates the institution of communion in the Last Supper. As Jesus breaks the bread and pours the wine, He offers them to His disciples, saying, “This is My body.”

The second Sunday brings us into the crowd who accompany Jesus on His entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. This sermon will answer the question of the people - “Who is this?” He is our Prophet, Priest, and King.

Standing at the cross on Good Friday, we will uncover the dichotomy of truth revealed in the mocking voices that taunt Jesus. We will bear witness to His suffering, utterly alone and abandoned, expressed in His cry, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Easter Sunday brings us to the empty tomb, where we hear what the women hear: He is not here! This surprising truth prompts them to go and deliver the message, “He is risen!”

And finally, with the disciples encountering the Risen Lord on the mountain, we will hear Him proclaim, “All authority has been given to Me.”

We journey through this Passiontide together to achieve a greater weight of appreciation of God’s all-encompassing love. Further, we also realize that our God is fashioning the weightiness of the new creation while we navigate homeward.