Are we there yet?

“Are we there yet?” From the back seat on a long or short trip, that mantra from the poor suffering kids always gave me the opportunity to aggravate them with such replies as, “Darn! I made a wrong turn. We have to go back and start all over.” Their cries and moans meant I had gotten them again. Being children they recovered quickly and their mantra returned after a few more miles had passed by.

We are now in the last days of our Lenten journey. I, for one, am ready for Lent to conclude. For the last week or so I have found myself saying, “Are we there yet?” I, and I’m sure like many, am ready for Easter! I am ready to shout those joyful “A” and “H” words! But we are not there just yet. We have one more turn to make – the turn toward Jerusalem and the experience of the Week of Weeks!

This Sunday we will walk with Jesus into the one week that is the center of the Christian faith. That’s why it is called Holy Week. It is a week where we encounter the incarnate God in the person of Jesus, the one who does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Beginning with Palm Sunday, the four Gospels record every day from Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his brutal death and resurrection. This week gives us the opportunity to slow down a bit and every day to consider the four accounts both individually and collectively. The synoptic Gospels are similar in detail, but John paints a picture of a different Jesus. What do you think that difference is? Well, you have to read it to find out.

Holy week offers a unique invitation to each of us to join Jesus and the disciples to experience hour by hour and day by day those moments that became the “week that changed the world.” Let’s join hands with Jesus and step into Jerusalem, step into the mystery that is this week, but be prepared to be changed!

 “Are we there yet?” Yes, children, we are. The Kingdom of God is here incarnate in the Story – jump in and become the story.