Spoiler alert
I have a friend who has a habit that I’ve never been able to understand. She’s a voracious reader of mysteries, and whenever she gets a new book, she flips to the last few pages and reads them first. This baffles me. It seems to me that knowing how a book ends would ruin the joy of discovering all the details revealed page by page. They call this sort of thing a “spoiler” because it spoils the fun.
But my friend says that knowing the ending, exactly whodunit, helps her see how the writer pulls things together. She can pick up clues about how the end unfolds along the way. Mostly, it helps her slow down. She doesn’t have to rush through the book, impatiently reading to find out how it ends. Instead, she savors each page.
I’ll never read a novel this way, but I’ve been thinking about my friend’s reading habit as we prepare to enter Holy Week. Beginning this weekend with Palm Sunday, we will experience Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, his last meal with his friends, and his agonizing death on the cross. It’s familiar. We know how it ends. So, we can slow down, mindful of each moment, not rush through.
Like my friend reads her mysteries, we make our way through these coming days, picking up clues about how God brings about the world’s most miraculous caper to bless and save the whole world. We can linger in the words Jesus says and his acts of service, sacrifice, and generosity. We’ll hear and notice again the depth and breadth of love that is given to us and this whole world on the cross. We move through these holy days attentive and open because we know the end of the story. The hope of the hosannas, the vulnerability of the serving, the shame of denial, and the pain of the nails all take on deeper meaning because of the resurrection.
Like my friend who took the time to read because she knew how that story would end, we, too, can slow down, not just in Holy Week but in our lives. We can pay attention and notice, open to having our hearts and lives expanded by our mostly sacred story. The wonder of it all is that, because of the end of Jesus’ story, we can also trust how our own stories end. Without fear of our future, we can slow down and be present in the moments we are given, throughout the coming days, and always.
Marcia Willi
A good reminder Pastor Sara, to always slow down and enjoy the journey; taking our time to reflect on what Easter means
Dana Wedeking
So deeply challenging and comforting. Thank you.