Holy Week

They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.  -Mark 16:3-4

For some reason the women's worries on the way to the tomb always catch my attention.  They are carrying spices and preparing for the very sad but necessary task of preparing Jesus' body for burial.  They've gotten as far as getting all the needed spices, but they don't have a plan for how to get into the tomb.  They knew it was heavy.  Would there be anyone around that would help them?  Would this be a problem? But when they get close, they see that the stone as already been rolled back.  Not only that, but an angel tells them that Jesus is no longer there - he's been raised - and they'll see him again.  

To me, these two verses are in a way, a description in miniature of the entire Holy Week cycle.  They describe how we prepare the best we can in life, but we're never quite sure whether we're going to be able to make it through the difficulties ahead, and some of them our really tough.  And then, often at the very darkest hour, we discover that even in our worry - even in our fears and our losses, God has been working the whole time to bring forth new life.

I hope that you will be able to join into the Holy Week story with the women at the tomb, with Peter, with Judas, with Pilate and Mary - as well as with Jesus' modern day followers at St. James.  We'll come as we are, well prepared or not, knowing that even in the darkest places, God is not only with us, but working in us and through us to bring forth new life.

Blessings,
Elsa