Why Attend Church?

Palm Sunday was an extraordinary day at Good Shepherd. Palm Sunday is the day in which we gather to experience the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, reliving our salvation history. For the Israelites the Passover celebration brought to remembrance the exodus story; the escape from Egyptian slavery through the miraculous parting of the Red Sea and the final destruction of their oppressive enemy. God heard his people cry and saved them. The night before their escape from Egypt, God instructed his people to place the blood of a lamb on their doorposts, to eat the lamb at night and to be ready to leave Egypt the next day. God passed by each home where the blood of a slaughtered lamb stained the doorposts allowing his people to escape to freedom.

Many years later God still hears his people groan under the bondage of sin and death. This time it is the oppressive powers of the Romans along with the Hebrew’s very own religious leaders heaping burdens upon the faithful. Entering Jerusalem for the Passover Feast, Jesus rides into town on a donkey knowing that he is to become the perfect sacrifice once and for all to set humankind free from their sin, restoring man to God and God to man. This is the Passion of Christ; Jesus sheds his blood, gives his body, in a perfect sacrifice for the whole world. Jesus’ death is our passover, setting us free from the bondage of sin and death, setting us free to live new life eternally through the blood of the lamb, our savior Christ.

In church, we gather year after year to enter again into our wonderful salvation story, and this year, a cast of Good Shepherd parishioners performed the Passion Play in church on Palm Sunday morning.

In the Passion Play as Jesus was breathing his last upon the cross all became quiet and perfectly still, except for one soft coo coming from a little baby in the congregation. When I heard this sweet little sound, the memory of Christmas flooded my heart. “We were just here celebrating the Incarnation: ‘And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14).” Little baby Jesus grew to become a man and was now standing in front of us hanging from a cross! My heart broke and tears rolled down my face. Time folded in upon itself in that moment for me, all time came together in one beautiful and joyful and heartbreaking moment realizing what God has done in Jesus Christ for me. I was awakened to God’s amazing grace anew. My sorry attempts to be faithful to a Lenten journey paled in comparison to seeing this man Jesus suffering on my behalf, indeed for my life. I was transformed from self centered sinner, to a beloved child of God. Once again God reached down and turned my heart from the bondage of my sins to His saving grace and love.

As a church we will gather again Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil on Saturday and Easter Sunday. Come to church and experience the story of His saving love through our Risen Lord. Be set free again! Awake to the story of God’s redeeming love upon the cross of Christ and be transformed in His life giving amazing grace.

With Easter blessings,