journey onWord with us

There are a few things deeply true of my own, unique walk of faith. First, the week upon whose doorstep we’ve just arrived has become the most important one of the year for me. My unfailing, childlike love for Christmastide has been leapfrogged. Not by the bunnies and bonnets of Easter, but by the repeated, sacred sitting with its story. A practice over a good many years now of diving deep into the movement and moments of Jesus’ final approach to the cross and out from the empty tomb. Second, I’ve come to believe God especially loves questions (and by its inference, conversation … and by its inference, relationship). Every time I speak that truth out loud, I am so tempted to ditch the “especially” and tack on “more than answers.” And yet, the more I’ve sat with the belief, the more I’ve seen the urge to rank or distinguish importance as a tempt of my second nature—the one I (and we all) inherited from original sin. Adding the rank would certainly spark conversation <insert smiley face emoji here>, but what I truly want to communicate is best left as I’ve left it above—God especially loves questions.

In observing my pattern of Holy Week writing, I rarely ever leave a question “unanswered.” In sharing my love for the deliberate movement, words and events of this week in Jesus’ life, I’ve mostly told you what I observe and believe about it and see in it. I guess that’s the reason for writing, right? Would a book full of questions ever be a bestseller? Why would one read if all they were going to be presented with is questions?

But it has equally dawned on me—at the dawn of this deeply meaningful week—that it might be a deeply meaningful thing to simply ask questions and then leave them with you to answer for yourself. Leave them with you, that is, to consider them together with the Spirit within you.

What I desire most in writing at this time of year, is for you to experience Jesus—and the whole of this truly holy week—in a deeper way. I’ve spent every other year before this one sharing what I’ve seen, heard, tasted and touched. How much deeper could the experience be if you were the one who saw, heard, tasted and touched after talking with the One who lived it?

So, here’s my question(s) for you today. Will you continue to read if all you’ll be presented with is questions? Are you ready for what this week can bring if you walk through it just you and He?

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IMPORTANT NOTE: Reading the Word of God is infinitely more important than any question I could ask. So, as the very best thing for your walk through this week, I offer the following passages if you don’t already have intentional plans for reading. In my years of writing, I’ve come to especially love the account in the gospel of Mark.

Palm Sunday:        Mark 11:1-11
Monday:                Mark 11:12-26
Tuesday:                Mark 11:27-13:37
Wednesday:           Mark 14:1-10
Thursday:              Mark 14:11-72
Friday:                   Mark 15
Saturday:               Scripture does not speak of this day
Resurrection Day!   Mark 16:1-11

It is notable to mention that because the Jewish day begins at sundown, some of the portions of Scripture noted above apply to the days of the week as a non-Jew knows them.