19 Apr Holy Week

If you have spent any time around church, the Christian faith, or really, any faith system, you have no doubt heard the word, holy.

This is, after all, Holy Week, there is what is called the Holy Catholic Church, there is the Holy of Holies described in the Old Testament…the list goes on. Holiness, is, after all, a key thought and concept in our faith.

But as much the concept of holiness it is key, I have also found it to be confused.

Confused with what, you ask? Confused with behavior…

…because holiness and moral behavior are not the same thing.

Think about it- why does God call things like lamp stands, curtains and special dishes in the Hebrew Tabernacle holy? How can he call them holy? After all, they haven’t done anything good or bad. The spoons haven’t sinned, nor have the lamp stands cared for a hurting person.

How can God call inanimate objects holy?

Because, to be holy means to be set apart for God’s exclusive use.

It means that something is for God, and God alone.

The root word actually comes from something that means “to be cut off”, as in, to be set aside, or singled out.

And didn’t Jesus do that? He was “cut off”, sanctified, he said, for us. He sanctified himself for us (John 17), was cut off for us, so that we would, in turn, set ourselves apart for Him.

So yes, moral behavior can be holy, but only as it flows from a heart set apart for God’s exclusive use…which brings me back to Holy Week.

With all that in mind, now consider what we are saying when we say “Holy Week”: we are saying there is a week set apart, unlike other weeks, for God’s use in our lives.

And so, my prayer for us today, later on Good Friday, and through our four services on Sunday, is that these times this week would be times in which we experience what it feels like, maybe even in a fresh way, to be set apart for God’s exclusive use.

My prayer for us is that we would also, as we sanctify ourselves and as we set ourselves apart, and set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, that we would encounter the love and the power of the Resurrection of Christ in way that changes us and those around us!

Blessings to you this Holy Week.

Morgan

P.S. Please consider inviting your friends and neighbors this weekend, as we celebrate in a highly creative and imaginative way, what Jesus has done for us- it’s going to be a great Easter! Please also remember to be on time, even early, on Sunday in particular, and consider attending either our 8:30 am or 1 pm services. We anticipate the middle two being the most full, and parking and seating will be tight, so get here early! And, finally, please pray for our church to have the impact God desires for us to. We will see you soon!