As a believer, the week leading up to the observance of Resurrection Sunday is the foundation of our existence. And while it is most assuredly sacred, somber and sobering, the mere consideration that God loved us such to the extent that He gave His only begotten Son for us is mind blowing. To be sure, I am excited like many to celebrate Jesus’ birth, but the fact that He was born to die takes me over and into full blown worship. I often wonder what would it feel like to operate in the assurance, power and anointing that I feel the week leading up to Calvary. I feel most loved and cared for because I know on Sunday, if the Lord allows, I will be blessed to celebrate with countless others who share my joy. Curiously enough, I and you have the opportunity to walk around the other 51 weeks (or maybe 50 excluding the week leading to Christmas), with the full abundance that was granted as a result of the Jesus’ resurrection, because we know the end of the story! He was born, He walked the earth, He healed, delivered and loved, He died and He rose and….best part…spoiler alert…He’s coming back again for what promises to be an eternal mash up of Christmas and Resurrection Sunday! But until then, what does the Lord require of us?
He desires for us to love others, pray for those who would prefer not have us with breath, help others where they stand in need, to carry out what He’s assigned us to do, to be joyful because we know how the story ends, despite the hatred we see on display daily. While we watch the news and are overwhelmed with sadness for the choices of men, we can be affirmed in the truth that none of it catches God by surprise. You see, the trip to Calvary did not cease the sin from occurring, but the death on the cross gave a way of escape in relation to sin, for constructing it, participating it, being impacted by it and witnessing it from afar. You know the story, someone without sin needed to atone sin for those of us who had that as our identity. How then can we not get excited and all “knuck if you buck” for anyone denying the existence of God, knowing what we know, doing what He was instructed! And did.
He did it! He didn’t have to. Yet love. His love shows up for us even when we are facing difficulty. So, when the enemy attempts to convince us that what we experience is due to the fact that we are not loved, just remind him of two simple words that sum up the entirety of Holy Week. Jesus was prophesied to be born: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). And did. His death was prophesied: “Surely, He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth (Isaiah 53:4-7) And did!
Understandably, because Jesus “did not open His mouth,” we should constantly and consistently keep ours open with praise and adoration with glory for assuming what we could not. Jesus spent a short amount of time on earth yet provided a framework for us to embody and embrace. What is the narrative you want written about you that will compel someone to respond at the end of the descriptor, and did? Even more, as the enemy attempts his trickery upon you, just tell him what he knows, and that which he hopes you don’t….And Did! Happy Holy Week y’all!