Do you ever forget what day it is? During this time of the pandemic and social distancing, it has happened to me on more than one occasion. It happened just today, our wonderful office manager, Maria, reminded me it was Wednesday. Ah, the Wednesday Word is due. I had to get crackin’. I had worked on what I wanted to say, but hadn’t finalized it. She reminded me, and I got right on it. 

Its Holy Week. We are heading toward Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. This week doesn’t seem any different from any other, and yet it is. It is the week we remember all that Jesus has done for us. Jesus was born, lived, and died so that you and I could have eternal life. So, this week is special in that we remember how much someone loved us, how very much we are loved. 

We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, by setting aside some time to remember the occasion. Holy Week is no different, we set aside time to remember. And yet, it IS different. It is different in that it was a week that changed the world. It changed everything that had been thought and done up to that point. 

Before Holy Week, sacrifices were made by human beings to appease angry gods, or to curry favor with the gods. This time its totally different. Our God is making the sacrifice of God to show us how we are really supposed to live and be. The sacrifice is made FOR us. All we need to do is accept. And yet, acceptance seems to come so hard to us. We question, we doubt, we struggle. Its hard for us to conceive of selfless acts, done strictly for us. Its hard for us to understand, maybe because we are so in touch with how we act in the world. We are acutely aware of our own thoughts and ways. Yes, we would sacrifice unselfishly for our loved ones. Yes, we might go beyond that circle and include close friends. But would we include someone we don’t know? Would we include someone who speaks and acts against us? Would we include enemies as we do those we love? 

That’s the difference isn’t it? We might consider acting unselfishly for those we love, and maybe for those we like. For those who act against us, for those who are enemies? Not so much. And yet, Jesus loved the WHOLE world, and sacrificed for ALL. 

Holy Week should be a week we never forget to commemorate. It should be a week we look deep inside ourselves where we have not been grateful for the ultimate sacrifice made for us. Have we lived our life, and showed our gratitude to Jesus by how we act toward others? Have we been merciful? Have we been gracious? Have we been forgiving? Or, have we forgotten to act out in those ways? 

Forgetfulness plagues even the best of us, doesn’t it? We forget lots of things, and then we remember and tell ourselves we won’t forget next time. Somehow, the next time rolls around, and we again forget. 

We are thankful God never forgets. God never forgets to love us. God never forgets to watch over us. God never forgets what we need. God never forgets we are his creation. God never forgets, but God does forget one thing. In Micah 7: 19 we are told; “He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” This is known as the sea of forgetfulness. This is where God deposits our sins, and God remembers them no more. 

Let’s remember, and not forget, what this week represents. Its a week like no other, and it reminds us of how loved we truly are. 

Love and Peace,

Pastor Tom