“Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you, "for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” ~ Matthew 26:26-28
You may not know this but I am in a mixed marriage. Oh, it’s not what you might think; my wife and I are both white Anglo-Saxon Protestants but we come from diverse church backgrounds. I was raised in a Baptist home and both my parents are what you would consider “first generation” Christians; they were the first to accept the Gospel in both families. So my Protestant “heritage” is fairly limited. My wife on the other hand is the daughter of a retired Lutheran minister. Her religious background includes worshiping in Lutheran, Baptist and Methodist churches and she attended a Catholic nursing school where every major milestone was observed with a Mass.
During my pre-teen years I lived in an area that was religiously and ethnically diverse and my family was somewhat of an oddity being the only Baptists in my neighborhood. All of my childhood friends came from a very devout Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Methodist or Greek Orthodox backgrounds. We were all very good friends and our families had a lot of fun together, and spent many hours enjoying each other’s company. My parents maintain some of these lasting friendships even to this day.
I have to admit that growing up I would get a little envious of my Catholic friends especially when they had First Communion. This typically occurs when a child is between the ages of 7 or 8 because it is considered that they have reached the “age of reason” and can understand the significance of partaking in the Lord’s Table. It is considered a very significant and holy event in the life of every Catholic. My jealousy stemmed from the fact that their families would have a party and the kids would receive many gifts from friends, relatives and their parents. As a Protestant we never placed any special significance or acknowledged a child taking communion. While I recognize that the significance of the Lord’s Table or communion is in remembrance of Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross, I cannot help but think that we should place a little more significance on the observation with our children.
The Passion week marks the culmination of the Lenten season within the liturgical churches; e.g. Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Anglican denominations and they will observe various days that serve as a reminder of the various aspects of the last days of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry. It starts with Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and ends with the Easter Sunday celebration.
As Protestants we all know that Palm Sunday marks Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem found in Luke 19:28-48 and we typically observe this during our Sunday worship services. Most children who attended Sunday school growing up remember receiving a palm frond and hearing the story of Jesus entering the city on an asses colt. But admittedly many main-line Protestants do not observer Maundy Thursday which commemorates what we call “The Last Supper” or Jesus celebrating the Passover with His disciples in the upper room, his prayer in the garden and his betrayal by Judas Iscariot. We also do not hold Good Friday services which are an observance of the actual crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Part of me finds this sad in a way because these were all significant events in the life and earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, and it would seem that the Bible reminds us that we need to remember and show our gratitude to God in our worship for what He has done for us in Christ.
I mentioned my wife’s church background and she has shared with me the significance and joy she experienced as a child observing these days and how it led to a deep and worshipful observance of the Easter or Resurrection Sunday. They would have a cross in the church and on Palm Sunday it would be draped with a purple cloth signifying Christ’s triumphal entry and that He is our King. On Maundy Thursday the cross would be draped with red cloth to show Jesus Christ as the Passover lamb. On Good Friday it would be draped with a black cloth to remember His suffering and death on the Cross. And then on Easter it would be draped in white to show that because of His atoning work and that He had paid the penalty for the sins of all who believe, and that through Him we are washed white as snow.
Back in 1988, Singer and song writer Michael Card released an album titled "Present Reality" and he wrote a song called "Know You in the Now". He based this on Philippians 3:10; "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death". The words of the song are poignant reminder to us about how we approach worship.
Echo of history
A light so many strain to see
The One we talk so much about
But rarely ever live it out
Could You tell me why
Was it for this You came and died
A once a week observance
When we coldly mouth Your words
Lord I long to see
Your presence in reality
But I don't know how
Let me know You in the now
We should confess
We lose You in our busyness
We've made You in our image
So our faith's idolatry
Lord, deliver me
Break my heart so I can see
All the ways You dwell in us
That You're alive in me
Lord I long to see
Your presence in reality
But I don't know how
Let me know You in the now
Just to be clear; I am not advocating "high church" or a need for pomp and ceremony. We are told in John 4:23-24 that we are to worship God "in spirit and in truth" and we need to be on guard against letting our worship drift into an empty, casual or mundane practice. My key point is this; do we view our worship on Easter, communion Sunday or even our worship on every other Sunday throughout the year as just another day? Do we truly come to honor and glorify God and ascribe value to Him and His Son, Jesus Christ? These observations should have meaning and a tremendous significance for every believer and it is my prayer that we all would “raise the level” of our worship to something more meaningful than an empty observance.
“Since mine eyes have looked on Jesus, I’ve lost sight of all beside, So enchained my spirit’s vision, Gazing on the Crucified” ~ Oswald Chambers
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