This Is Holy Week
Right now is a special time. This is Holy Week. During this time, Good Friday leads to Easter on Sunday. Passover is happening at the same time, which started Wednesday.
This is a significant time of reflection, gratitude, and celebration. These are such important days that people outside of the faiths who observe them know about them. For those people that were there when the events were happening in history, however, it likely didn’t look promising until they saw how things worked out.
Good Friday and the first Passover looked grim at the time they were happening, but God did amazing things through them that are still celebrated, impactful, and remembered now.
On Good Friday, Jesus was brutally beaten and died a painful and humiliating death on a cross. He received a criminal’s punishment, and a murderer was released- Jesus took his place due to the screams of the people to kill him rather than the murderer. Friday didn’t look “good” at that time, especially for those who followed Jesus.
During the events of the first Passover, God passed over the Israelites while a plague of death of the first born sons in the households was going through the land. To be passed over required the sacrifice of a spotless lamb and putting its blood on the door posts. The Israelites had been enduring the harsh treatment of the Egyptians while they were in slavery for over 400 years, on top of other recent plagues in the land leading up to this. With all they were going through, this was likely a very stressful and hard time for the Israelites as they were preparing for the coming plague.
And not long after, when they finally were escaping Egypt, it likely looked like hope was lost when they got to the sea’s edge and saw no way to move forward with the enemy army trailing them.
Things were escalating and looked like they were at their worst in these situations.
For those following Jesus, the brutal death on a cross of the sinless Son of God and Messiah, the sacrificial lamb for the world, that looked like the end of hope.
For the Israelites, uncertainty of when freedom would come, how their captors would treat them if they did not get to freedom, and looking at what appeared hopeless and like it would end in defeat at the water’s edge.
But the times that seemed grim, hopeless, and uncertain were the times that led to freedom and life.
By dying on the cross, Jesus paid for all of our sins, restored our relationship with Father God, and defeated death and evil when He rose again on Easter. It took until the third day to see that death hadn’t defeated Jesus, but that He had given us life and freedom through His sacrifice and had risen to life and to His rightful position. He has overcome all things and through Him we can overcome all things too!
During the events of the first Passover, not only did God spare the first born sons of the Israelites, but shortly after, He led them to freedom out of slavery in Egypt after passing their houses over. And not only did God lead them to freedom, but He literally parted the sea to make a way for them to cross into freedom when there seemed to be no way. He gave them freedom and life after the peak of the plagues and mistreatment from their captors of over 400 years, even as the enemy army approached to stop them.
In these situations, when it seemed there was no way, when things seemed their worst, God did the impossible and changed everything in a way that we still celebrate and honor today.
What looks hopeless, bad, uncertain, or like there is no way to happen right now in your life and in the world can lead to a huge gift, the promise you’ve been waiting for, and may even change everything in the most amazing way you never saw coming. Perhaps, what looks chaotic, terrible, or impossible is the turning point that leads to the breakthrough. Perhaps it is the moment God changes everything. A lot can change in a short time, even in 3 days. It did for the world when Jesus went to the cross- as Christians celebrate, we went from death being the price of our sins to having the gift of life and forgiveness of sins given to us, and He went from being on a cross to being risen in glory. And before that, the Israelites went from over 400 years of being slaves mistreated in Egypt and enduring recent plagues to seeing the sea parted before them and being free people heading to their promised land at the time of the first Passover.
For those who choose to, may we be joyful in celebrating the gift of life we are given freely through Jesus this Easter, and may we honor and celebrate what God has done throughout history, especially through Passover and Easter, in bringing freedom, grace, mercy, love, and life- and doing what seems impossible. If you’re going through something that seems hopeless, remember that it can all change very quickly in a significant, life changing, and beautiful way!
Praying for a blessed Holy Week, Easter, and Passover for all of you! God is good and is with you!
This is a video and song I wanted to share with you to celebrate Easter:
This is also month of the military child. Thank you to all military children past and present! We honor you this month, but you are important, valuable, and appreciated always.
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Please pray for our members who may have silent or anonymous prayer requests, as well as those who may be mourning or suffering at this time.
Please pray for our leaders at the post, for our community, our city, and for those leading our cities, country, and workplaces.
If anyone wants to pray together let us know. You may have a need you want prayer for, or we can be praying for overall needs, our post, our leaders, our city, etc. or all of it. Prayer is good for all of it! God hears!
You can submit a prayer request here with as much info as you’re comfortable with: https://form.jotform.com/ChaplainAL43/prayerrequest
You can also reach out directly to chaplain@post43.org if you'd rather do that.
What would you like the chaplains to offer at the post? We would love to hear what would help you all!
It's ok to not be ok.
If you are feeling like you are in crisis or need help, the crisis line is available 24/7: dial or text 988
Praying for each of you, for our leadership, and for us as a community. May God make His presence known in your personal lives, in our post, and in our community, and may His shalom, love, and joy be felt in ways like never before. May He heal and protect you mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I pray for God’s revival in each person and for us as a community. In His mighty, precious, and unmatched Name we pray.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
Blessings and Gratitude,
Donna Callaway, Chaplain