From the Table to the Cross

This next week is the heart of our Christian year—Holy Week. It’s the kind of week that invites us to slow down and take it all in, even though life doesn’t always make that easy.

I’ll be honest with you—there are times when Holy Week feels like a lot. Not just in the planning and preparation, but in the emotions it stirs up.  This week, trying to prepare for several different services  and juggle everything else life is throwing my way.  I found myself sitting at my table at home, surrounded by half-finished notes and a ton of work, just staring out the window.

I felt overwhelmed. Spiritually heavy. Like I’m trying to carry too much at once.

And that then it hits me—that’s exactly what this week is about.

Because before the joy of Easter, we walk through the weight of the table and the cross.

On Maundy Thursday, we remember how Jesus, knowing what was ahead, still chose to sit down with his friends. He didn’t rush. He washed their feet—an act of tenderness in the face of betrayal. He passed the bread and cup and gave them a commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

That’s the invitation of the table—to come as we are. Even when we’re tired. Even when we’re overwhelmed. Even when love feels hard.

Then comes Good Friday, a day that’s not easy to sit with. The music is somber. The sanctuary feels still. The story we hear—the betrayal, the suffering, the cross—is one that’s painful.

But it’s also real.

Because on Good Friday, we come face-to-face with a God who doesn’t avoid our brokenness. A God who steps into pain, sits with sorrow, and still says, “I’m not leaving.”

That’s why we don’t rush past Friday. We hold space—for grief, for silence, for honest prayers we don’t always have words for. It’s in that space that resurrection begins to take root.

Between the table and the cross is where a lot of life happens.

In the weariness.  In the waiting.  In the mix of faith and fear.   That’s where God meets us.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed this week—whether by life, or by the heaviness of Holy Week itself—I hope you’ll hear this:  You don’t have to carry it alone.  Jesus sees you. Jesus welcomes you to the table, and he walks with you to the cross.

This week, don’t skip the hard parts. Sit with them. Trust that even there—especially there—God is already at work.

And Easter’s coming.  See you Sunday!

Peace, Pastor Tracy