It may not be what you think. Of course, when we think of holiness, we think of God. Holy means perfect, pure…without blemish. Yep, that would be God, no doubt. You might also think of the perfect work of God through the perfect Son – Easter – certainly holy. But Holy Week? What makes Holy Week holy? Holy Week is, quite simply, a special week devoted entirely to God. Ideally, we live the sum total of our lives in devotion to God, but not many of us can lay claim to that. It’s tooooo harrrrd. (I can hear my friend asking, “Would you like some cheese with your whine?”) And because it’s hard, we create structure and routine to help us: We have church every Sunday; we have Christian holidays throughout the year; some build personal habits of consistent time with God. Structure helps us “be devoted.” But guess what happens? We eventually forget that the structures and routines are there to assist, not replace personal devotion. We eventually, subtly, start thinking that what makes Holy Week holy are the events and celebrations we’ve put in place. When in fact what makes Holy Week holy is surprisingly, amazingly, you! God’s not interested in a series of celebrations in His name nearly as much as He is a serious life of celebration in His name. The “burnt offering that smells good” to God is the devotion His church worshiping, loving one another, and reaching into a world that needs Jesus. Make this a Holy Week by the devotion of your very life. Worship, by remembering and honoring Jesus and the work done on your behalf. Love, by caring about your family and friends. Reach, by serving and inviting. You can do all that in many ways – one is our Easter Celebration – you can do all three: worship, serve and invite. Don’t miss the opportunity! Without God there is nothing Holy…devote yourself to Him this week and make it holy.
But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ? To obey is better than sacrifice…
“God’s not interested in a series of celebrations in His name nearly as much as He is a serious life of celebration in His name… worshiping, loving one another, and reaching into a world that needs Jesus.”
Wow… if you really think about it this is a hard statement to truly live out. I think the easy part is showing up for the celebration… because it doesn’t require so much from us. We can almost pass by anonymously. But a life, a persons walk, that is serious and is in itself a celebration of God… reaching (great word!) into the world in Jesus’ name… that’s tough stuff! Awesome stuff!
Thanks for the tasty food for thought!
So blessed by a church community that values a multi-generation approach to the body of Christ. The servant heart of Vista brother and sisters to serve and be the church in every stage of life, in every place in the community and every need with in the church is indeed a burnt offering fragrant to the Lord. The church’s response to serving for the Good Friday and Easter services was beautiful to see. Thank you Vista for your support and ministering on that weekend. Thank you for your continued service to your younger brother and sisters in Kids Community. We are so blessed to see a community that has embraced the value of all Vista attenders to minster to families once a quarter in this way. The scent of that worship is a delight to the soul and a example of Romans 15:1-7