Greetings …

As we move rapidly towards Holy Week we are reminded of all this week entails – moments of revelation, understanding, joy and also betrayal and loss.  Much happens on Jesus’ journey to the cross, a journey which involves those who are part of his community and those who are not.  Much of the story of this week is familiar to us, and yet sanitised as we come to it from afar.  Also, it is a story that we can sometimes relax into because we know the ultimate outcome … we can see the ‘happy ending’.  The Women’s Lectionary sheds light on some of the encounters of Holy Week that we might otherwise overlook.

Over the next week you will see the church tree blossom with images of some Holy Week encounters … some very familiar and others possibly not so.  This week the journey begins with two encounters – Palm Sunday and Herod’s Wife.

Palm Sunday we celebrate Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem.  As he travels on a donkey crowds place their cloaks on the road, wave palm leaves and shout ‘Hosanna!’.  The mood is upbeat with much celebration and excitement … but how quickly things change.

Not long after we find ourselves witness to Jesus’ trial before Pilate who seems to be a reluctant prosecutor.  How did the mood change so quickly?  Rather that rejoicing and shouting ‘Hosanna!’, the crowd are now calling for Jesus’ crucifixion.  Pilate’s wife dreams about Jesus’ and cautions her husband to have nothing to do with him, yet her appeal falls on deaf ears.  Pilate pronounces sentence, but seems unwilling to take responsibility for what he has done, washing his hands as it to absolve himself of his involvement.

As we walk our Holy Week journey, I wonder how quickly our rejoicing turns to hand washing?

Blessings – Heather (she/her).