Dear People of Trinity Church,
The Holy Week story is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Each year in its retelling from Palm Sunday through Easter, we stand on the outskirts of Jerusalem as Jesus enters the city, observe his trial, share in the Last Supper, witness his crucifixion, and join the women three days later at the empty tomb. The closing days of the life of Jesus, his crucifixion, and his resurrection describe the sacred story of salvation in the unfolding of human life. Those who were part of the story of Jesus revealed some of the most despicable and some of the most courageous qualities of human relationships. Loyalty and betrayal, determination and indifference, honesty and deception all take root in the drama.
So much of Christian theology can seem abstract and devoid of connection with daily life. The Holy Week story reminds us, however, that there is nothing abstract about the life of Jesus. His story becomes in small and large ways our story as well. The services on Palm Sunday (also known as the Sunday of the Passion), Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter are designed to draw us into the story. Thankfully, the story is less about human weakness and more about divine strength. What had been proclaimed generation after generation is revealed in the God who acts as promised by being present in any and every place we find ourselves. Hope arises from real life and from God who makes life real. I hope you will dare to be in the story so that God’s story can truly be ours. Please join us for Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter.
Faithfully,
The Reverend Edward O. Miller, Jr.