I was thinking about…

When Faith’s Intensity Peaks

By Andy Lee

Did you feel that palpable shift in spiritual energy rippling through
recently? I’m referring to the lead-up toward Christianity’s most sacred
stretch of the calendar – Holy Week. But first, let us rewind to the
electrifying curtain raiser: Palm Sunday.

For those less familiar, Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’s triumphant arrival
in Jerusalem, humbly riding a donkey. An underwhelming royal entrance at first
glance, until one understands the deeper symbolism. In the ancient world,
leaders purposefully rode donkeys during victory processions, representing an
arrival in peace rather than on chariots of war. Christ’s chosen mount revealed
the humble, servant-hearted Messiah he embodied.

So, on this day, jubilant onlookers essentially rolled out the red carpet
treatment by waving palm branches and cloaks along his path. An ironic
foreshadowing, since just days later their praise would turn to cries demanding
crucifixion. But in that celebratory palm-waving moment, expectation for the
promised King whose reign would never end achieved fever pitch.

Which made Christ’s subsequent path to suffering all the more disorienting.
Because that Palm Sunday victory rally kicked off Holy Week – that solemn
procession toward the cross defining history’s most agonizing stretch of days.
The initial loud hosannas shifted into eerie silence as onlookers watched their
purported Deliverer degraded from royalty to convicted criminal.

One can only imagine the emotional whiplash for Jesus’s closest followers.
One minute, dreams about restoring the kingdom felt tangible enough to chase
wholeheartedly. Hysteria convinced them pivotal prophecies were manifesting.
Then in a shattering turn, their cosmic perspective capsized witnessing God’s
anointed enduring torturous indignities no liberating Sovereign should ever
suffer.

Yet incredibly, those upended expectations during Holy Week’s darkest hours
ultimately illuminated glory’s brilliant reimagining. The tragic detour
revealed purposeful preparation all along for God’s outrageous resolution by
Easter’s dawn.

Which is why reliving that turbulent sequence carries such seismic spiritual
weight even today. We’re reminded that when all seemed catastrophically
derailed, upheaval primed humanity’s supreme Divine Intervention. Sacred
fragrances spilled from shattered alabaster before resurrection’s light
reintroduced hope.

Thus, for Christians worldwide, Holy Week stands as faith’s most formidable,
soul-stilling season. The human mind may struggle processing such sacred
upheavals amid fallen realms. Yet tradition beckons our gaze back annually to
behold, digest and ultimately flourish awash in unfathomable grace’s
undercurrents.

Stay reverent, keep ruminating! 🕊