— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
My meditation is a combination of testimony and encouragement. The testimony is about some of my experiences throughout my life during Holy Week and an encouragement to make the most of Holy Week which starts on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter morning.
Most of us know that we are now in Lent, the preparation time for Easter. My spiritual journey is strongly connected to this time of year. As a young teenager with no previous experience in the Lutheran Church I was baptised and signed up for a confirmation course shortly before Lent began. Before this course I had had sporadic church experiences which had awakened in me a hunger for God. These church experiences where in widely different churches including Presbyterian, Baptist, Catholic, Covenant and the Greek Orthodox church. My family was not connected with any church but I had a foster mother who would take me and my siblings to church. Little did she know that the Bible her daughter gave me was the beginning of my love for God’s word and my future theology studies.
Since childhood I have been pulled into the preparation and celebration of Easter. Whereas many might choose Christmas as their favourite church holiday I find Easter the best. First there are very limited physical preparations for Easter and the time before is the quietest time of the year. Whereas during the Advent season our calendars are exploding with partys, shopping, baking and much more, Lent leaves much time for ‘chillen’. Contrary to the week before Christmas most of our calendars leave time to prepare ourselves for Easter Sunday. The benefit of participating in Holy Week is that Easter morning’s celebration will mean so much more.
Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday remembers how Christ was welcomed into Jerusalem with cries of Hosanna. The narrative in the Bible describes the whole city welcoming Jesus and shouting that he was welcomed into their city and in their lives. We know how the week ends when the same crowds are shouting “Crucify him!”. On Palm Sunday I join in the cries of Hosanna and hope that if I was living then I would not be shouting crucify him on Friday.
Wednesday is the last Lenten surface. Many churches have the tradition of having lenten services starting with Ash Wednesday for the entirety of Lent. As a young teenager preparing for Confirmation I was in church for Lenten services. Here at the ACF we have had online bible studies for Lent. For me it is important to have this extra reminder what the Lent season is about. It keeps me aware of my need to seek God and recognise my need for a relationship with him.
Thursday is called Maundy Thursday and here in Germany called Gründonnerstag. The word Maundy comes from Latin and is a shortening of the word for “Commandment” The text for what happens on this evening is read every communion service. As Jesus celebrates passover with his disciples he gives the instructions for the continuation of this first communion service. Communion has been part of Christian gatherings way before there were church buildings.
Many churches also have foot washing to commemorate Jesus humbling himself and washing the feet of his disciples. This is done to imitate the humility and selfless love of Jesus.
The name Good Friday comes from the days when the word good also meant holy and pious. Here in Germany it is called Karfreitag which means Sad Friday. I am thankful that I live in Germany where Good Friday is a holiday which leaves most of us with no excuse to ignore this most important holiday in the Christian calendar. On this day we are given the opportunity to meditate what the cross means for us. Something historical happened on that day which is still valid over 2000 years later. On this day Jesus allowed himself to be crucified and that is why we use the word passion. Traditionally it is remembered that Christ hung on the cross from 12:00-15:00. Christians around the church gather during that time in churches and have a service at 15:00 or later. If you can’t be in our church I recommend to do the stations of the cross which are displayed in every catholic church.
On Saturday I try to trade places with Jesus’ disciples who knew nothing about Easter morning. For me a good meditation think about what would be missing in your faith if there was no resurrection. Don’t jump to Easter morning but meditate in the tension of the Saturday before the resurrection.
In many parts of the world Easter starts at midnight with the ringing of church bells across the city. I have had the privilege of celebrating Holy Week in a Greek Orthodox Church. Nothing compares to the joy and the excitement of the lighting of the church and the celebration afterwards. Instead of Easter brunch they start feasting at 1:00 in the morning. It is worth waiting to celebrate Easter after preparing yourself during the Holy Week.
Holy Week is a roller coaster of emotions and I challenge and encourage you to take this ride and experience the joy, the repentance, the humility, the communion, the sadness, the uncertainty and the celebration of the week.
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
Freiburg Anglican Church 