Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Philippians 2:5-11
Here we are in the midst of another of my favorite seasons of the Church Year – Lent! “No, you can’t be serious!” some may say. But yes, I am serious, because it’s an essential part of our pilgrimage as followers of Jesus, walking in His footsteps.
It has been said that to experience the full joy of Easter, one must walk the road that leads to the cross. To me, this makes good sense. What is Easter without the cross?
As a musician, allow me to make an analogy using Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Everyone loves the over-the-top finale with orchestra and chorus ecstatically performing the well-known music we often sing in church as “Joyful, joyful, we adore thee.” But, if we were to skip over the earlier parts of the symphony (for the sake of my analogy we’ll call these parts the earthly ministry of Jesus leading to Calvary) and go straight for the finale (i.e., Easter), would that glorious ending have the same powerful impact? I would argue “No!” To be sure, it would still be brilliant, but only by going the entire journey can we experience its full glory.
Of course, this analogy pales in comparison to the glory that is Jesus Christ(!), but you get the point.
How can we more fully engage in this pilgrimage with Jesus? There are many ways of course, and one way available here at All Saints is by walking the Stations of the Cross. Most importantly, though, is faithful participation in services, especially those during Holy Week – remembering that for our sake Jesus humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on the cross.
We are a Kingdom Church. At the Name of Jesus, let us bend the knee, and let every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.
I encourage you to enter into the full joy of Easter by walking the pilgrim way of Lent and Holy Week.
May your journey be blessed and lead to a joyous Easter!
God bless you!
Peter
