In the Orthodox Church, our life in Christ centers around a Great Mystery–the Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of course, we experience this Mystery in many ways: in the words of the Gospels, in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and in our own lives as we prayerfully reflect on Christ. But in the great days of Holy Week and Pascha, we live with our Lord through these days. We hail him as King with palms. We see him enter the Holy City and purify the temple. We hear him utter words of rebuke to the religious leaders of his day. We witness the burgeoning plot to snuff out his life. We share the Passover meal with the disciples. We behold the Lord’s tears in Gethsemane as he wrestles with his human will. We watch him suffer not only from the literal blows of an unruly assembly, but also from the faithlessness and fear of those who supposedly loved him the most. We see him crucified and reviled; buried and sealed in a tomb. And we will keep meditating on Christ’s ongoing work even as he descends to hell to begin liberating our race. We will also be with the women who find the tomb empty early in the morning…
We invite the people of the Bluegrass to pray with us in these days: to make this journey with the Lord. (Please see our “service schedule” in the sidebar for service times and explanations of each service.) In the end, if we do this not as ones who merely observe, but as people making a pilgrimage to encounter him, we will partake of the joy of his Resurrection and will say with the whole Church:
“Christ is Risen from the dead, trampling down death by death: and upon those in the tombs, bestowing life!”
Great Lent 2011