Every Sunday is Holy Week

Christ is risen!

Blessed Easter to you all! A short introduction for me as you don't know me, I am Isaiah Gill, good friend of William, who has graciously allowed me to share in his blog! I'll be graduating from high school in 2 months, and I am similarly planning on going to Seminary, probably Forte Wayne! You’ll be hearing more from me, and I can’t wait to ponder on the wonders of the Lord with all of you! (I was planning on writing a short post about John 6 as I've been thinking very much on it, but as I began, it turned out to be much longer than I anticipated so look out for that!)

Something I've been thinking about as Holy Week has been drawing to a close is: why can't every week be Holy Week? Now, of course there are other things to celebrate, but this is such a rich time of the Church Year to ponder all that Christ has done for us!

So is every week Holy Week? I'll see your every week, and raise you every Sunday! (... which is still every week but you get the drift)

Palm Sunday:

Every Sunday we welcome in Christ, from the hearing of His Word, to the eating and drinking of His body and blood, and we even shout the same words as on that first Palm Sunday in the Sanctus, "Hosana! Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord!"

The Overturning of the Money Changer's Tables:

Included in Palm Sunday is the overturning of the money changer's tables. How might we see this in our services? Well, at the beginning of the service, we receive forgiveness of sins by means of our Corporate Confession, and the pastor's Absolution to us in the stead of Christ; so that, we come into the church, drenched in the sins of the previous week, and Christ, through the pastor, says, "My house will be called a house of prayer," and announces us forgiven, casting out the sin that covers us! And furthermore, the pastor announces the forgiveness while doing the Sign of the Cross, as to remind us, "Remember, this sin that seems to cover you, it cannot cover the blood of Christ our Lord, for His blood covered you first, through the waters of Baptism!"

Maundy Thursday:

This one is pretty easy, as it is the day in which Communion was instituted! And every Sunday, it flows out forgiveness, life, and the remembrance of the New Testament Christ has made in His blood, that we will one day be brought to life everlasting with our God and Lord! And just as on Maundy Thursday our Lord was betrayed, every Sunday, just as every day, we sin, thus betraying Christ, and needing His forgiveness, we receive His true body and blood.

Good Friday:

"But we preach Christ crucified." - 1 Corinthians 1:23

This verse really sums it up. That within the sermon, we preach Christ and Him crucified! In our confessions, by the creeds, we preach Christ and Him crucified! By every syllable of the liturgy, by the eating and drinking of His body and blood, by the hymns we sing, we preach Christ and Him crucified!

Holy Saturday:

Now this one was a bit tricky at first, but once I thought of it, it is one of the best examples yet! So, yesterday, I was calling with a good friend who I haven't talked with in ages. We were catching up, and at the end of our call, he said, "Well, make sure to get some good rest, because Jesus is resting in the tomb today!" And a light bulb came on when he said that because, when we go to worship our Lord, we take His example, and we rest. Our worship of the Lord is our rest! BUT, that's not all folks, because pondering further, He indeed is resting in that tomb, continuing to fulfill the Law for us, BUT He ALSO is in Sheol, proclaiming liberty to the captives! So that even while He is doing His Harrowing of Hell, He is resting! And so, we continue His example of rest, in our services, while God provides for us by His many means: the Confession and Absolution, His Word, and Communion! We get to take a break from our busy lives, and worship Him! What a blessing!

Easter Sunday:

And we circle back to Sunday! On Easter Sunday, Christ rose from the dead, defeating death, proving He is God, and granting all of us, who hope in Him, everlasting life! Where does this fit in? Well, we had discussed "Christ and Him crucified" being evident in all of the service, but as St. Paul writes in his first epistle to the Corinthians,

"And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty." -1 Corinthians 15:14

So that within the sermon, we preach Christ and Him risen from the dead! In our confessions, by the creeds, we preach Christ and Him risen from the dead! By every syllable of the liturgy, by the eating and drinking of His body and blood, by the hymns we sing, we preach Christ and Him risen from the dead! So that the Christian, troubled from a week of sin, hardship, loss, etc., comes to church, and joyfully hears the good news preached to receive the joy of the Lord! It is by this preaching that we have our joy!

So, there you have it, Every Sunday is Holy Week! I hope you enjoyed this my first post and have a very blessed Easter!

Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!