Holy Remembrance

This week we will have several opportunities for Holy Remembrance. We have lost a beloved member of our congregation, and in honoring his life we will ask God for peace even as we grieve. We will celebrate the Last Supper on Thursday with our friends at West Springfield First Congregational, dine together, and take part in washing one another’s hands. This is kind of a strange ritual to our modern world, but even so, it is surprisingly meaningful. We must hold each other’s hands and care for one another in a most tangible way. The Last Supper was a time of reflection as Jesus told his disciples to remember him, and also a time of clarity when the ones Jesus had relied upon begin to wonder who among them would let him down. On Good Friday, we will hear the difficult words, it is finished and feel the gravity of the season. And yet we will look forward with hope to the celebration of Easter Sunday. The events of this Holy Week and our traditions which draw us into them are not always easy to bear. And yet we will cling to the hope that the tomb will be empty, that God has not forsaken us. All is not lost, even as we cry out Hosanna along with the crowds surrounding Jesus as he entered Jerusalem.  Hosanna means “Save us!” or “Messiah!” Like our world today, the Easter Story takes place in a dark and troubled time. Let us gather with Christians all around the world as we pray for God to intervene on our behalf. We will not lose hope, for truly, Sunday’s comin’!