The Same Old New
Every year, it happens. Every year I come to this moment, the week we call Holy, and I work with others to plan worship services for our congregation. And every year, I ask myself, "How can I make this new again?" The story hasn't changed, after all. It's the same story. As we walk through this week, we will once again witness Jesus sharing a meal with his disciples, one of them intent on betraying him. We will go to the cross and see Jesus crucified, in agony, the weight of the world upon him. And we will wait in the darkness of Saturday until the tomb is opened on Sunday. It's the same story (and I sometimes wonder if those whose only worship experience is Easter wonder if we ever talk about anything else!).
How do I make it new?
And then I begin to think—do I need to make it new? Or is it the old, old story that we need to hear again?
Of course that's it. There's a reason we go back to familiar places, favorite spots. Have you heard people talk about revisiting locations where something special happened, something significant? It may have been decades ago, but when they step foot in that place, it's as if that moment is happening all over again. Some go back to the church camp where they met Jesus and they just sit in the chapel, finding Jesus still powerfully present in that place. Or we visit historical landmarks to somehow capture the spirit of the place, the event. It was profoundly moving for me to stand in Independence Hall and remember that this was the place where our whole experiment in liberty began.
And even moreso, it continues to be a powerfully moving experience every time I walk the streets of the Old City in Jerusalem. People sometimes ask me why I continue to go back; after all, I've been there four times. Haven't I seen everything? Well, no, but that isn't the point. There's something that happens to me when I stand in that place, when I walk those streets. I feel connected in a powerful way to the Story...the Story of Stories. And, as I think of that experience, I realize that's what I want to happen to all of us during this week.
We walk well-worn paths. We revisit familiar stories. We come to hear The Story again, to remember and reconnect. It's easy to forget the depth of Jesus' sacrifice for us. It's easy to take it for granted. So this time comes every year, this Holy Week, to remind us of our need for Jesus and our hope of resurrection. If we treat it as just a story, we've missed the point. If we come only for the spectacle or the music or hoping for great oratory from the pastor, we've missed the point. It's the Christ of the story who has the power to transform us, make us new, resurrect us! So when we come with open hearts, the old is made new again in our lives.
So I encourage you to worship this week, to allow the Story to be more than a story. Enter into the Story and allow Jesus to make you new. Then it will truly be a holy week.
How do I make it new?
And then I begin to think—do I need to make it new? Or is it the old, old story that we need to hear again?
Of course that's it. There's a reason we go back to familiar places, favorite spots. Have you heard people talk about revisiting locations where something special happened, something significant? It may have been decades ago, but when they step foot in that place, it's as if that moment is happening all over again. Some go back to the church camp where they met Jesus and they just sit in the chapel, finding Jesus still powerfully present in that place. Or we visit historical landmarks to somehow capture the spirit of the place, the event. It was profoundly moving for me to stand in Independence Hall and remember that this was the place where our whole experiment in liberty began.
And even moreso, it continues to be a powerfully moving experience every time I walk the streets of the Old City in Jerusalem. People sometimes ask me why I continue to go back; after all, I've been there four times. Haven't I seen everything? Well, no, but that isn't the point. There's something that happens to me when I stand in that place, when I walk those streets. I feel connected in a powerful way to the Story...the Story of Stories. And, as I think of that experience, I realize that's what I want to happen to all of us during this week.
We walk well-worn paths. We revisit familiar stories. We come to hear The Story again, to remember and reconnect. It's easy to forget the depth of Jesus' sacrifice for us. It's easy to take it for granted. So this time comes every year, this Holy Week, to remind us of our need for Jesus and our hope of resurrection. If we treat it as just a story, we've missed the point. If we come only for the spectacle or the music or hoping for great oratory from the pastor, we've missed the point. It's the Christ of the story who has the power to transform us, make us new, resurrect us! So when we come with open hearts, the old is made new again in our lives.
So I encourage you to worship this week, to allow the Story to be more than a story. Enter into the Story and allow Jesus to make you new. Then it will truly be a holy week.
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