Why Easter? Isn't Easter pagan or something? Aren't we supposed to remember Jesus every week? Is the devil trying to brainwash my kids with chocolate rabbits and marshmallow Peeps? As a minister, I get those questions every year, and I'll admit that I used to spend a lot of time worried about it myself. Let me share a few details that might clarify things. Be warned! A nerdy deep-dive is ahead! The logic of celebrating any day as special from another is the same as celebratin

The cross invites us to slow down, observe, and remember. It is easy to rush past Good Friday. We look ahead to Sunday, to joy, hope and the empty tomb. Yet before we get there, we are meant to pause, stand still, and listen. The final words of Jesus on the cross cause us to stop and observe who he is. They are simple, but they are full of meaning. They show us not just who he is, but what he came to do. Jesus Offered Forgiveness “Father, forgive them, for they know not what

On Thursday of Holy Week, Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples. They gathered together in an upper room to share one of the ancient Jewish feasts called The Passover. When they arrived, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, even Judas Iscariot, who would betray him a few hours later. In what we now call the "Last Supper," Jesus gave his final message to his disciples, parting thoughts for his inner circle.  After the meal, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane to

They call it Silent Wednesday, because after a flurry of activity, Jesus does nothing of interest on the Wednesday of Holy Week. He had made three consecutive trips to the Temple to provoke the leadership. First on Sunday, he went to the Temple as the grand marshal of a triumphant parade. On Monday, he returned as a passionate reformer, overturning tables and making room for the poor and the lame where once there had only been commerce and greed. Tuesday had been the day of r