Clergy Notes — April 13, 2025
St. James' Anglican ChurchI am always a little surprised at how quickly the season of Lent goes by. This year, at St James’, there are so many things going on that I imagine many of us feel like we hardly had a chance to experience Lent in its fulness.
And, now here we are at the beginning of Holy Week, perhaps feeling a little like the disciples – not really sure how we got here, but trusting that God is still doing a new thing – in us, and in the world.
And so, we begin this week with Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and then celebration of the Last Supper, which quickly gives way to the horror and desolation of the cross. Like the disciples, we may find ourselves experiencing true sorrow, even though – unlike them – we know death is not the end.
We know that just as the excitement of Palm Sunday gives way to the anguish of the cross, so too does the sorrow of Good Friday give way to Paschal joy. The hope of resurrection is more than just relief; it is the defiance of the darkest powers the world can throw at us. It is an unexpected experience of being utterly amazed at what God is doing.
I hope for all of us that we may allow ourselves to enter into the fulness of Holy Week. The rich liturgies this week are an opportunity to truly walk with Jesus moment by moment, allowing our hearts to experience each one as if we did not know what was going to happen next. For we, too, cannot really grasp what is about to happen.
God is doing a new thing: do you perceive it?
Mother Amanda