Holy Week has come. The journey of the Savior through Jerusalem, to the Mount of Olives, betrayal and crucifixion will once more capture the attention of countless men, women and children around the world. For those who believe, these are the events that fulfill God’s desire for our lives to rise above death. For those who do not believe, the pageantry of the faithful stand in marked contrast to the simplicity of the original events.
One of the great discoveries of the 20th century was that the higher primates can think and use tools. This compels us to ask with new interest, “What separates humans from animals, if intelligence does not?”
We are separated from every species on the planet by our universal need for worship. As nearly as we can tell, no other animal pauses in awe before a deity. Yet, human beings have universally done so. The experiments of various societies to become “godless” have failed. When the doors of the church were finally opened on an Easter a few years ago, millions emerged to worship.
We do not pretend that our pageantry reflects the austerity of the first Golgatha. Neither can we pretend to understand the lengths to which our God will go to bring eternal love to us. What we can do – a will do – is pause in wonder at the Easter event and those circumstances that led up to it. And that will be enough.
Almighty God, as you wove your love beneath the first events of our Savior – his death and resurrection – so weave within our lives your invitation to worship. Amen
