Holy Week: Take Time Apart for Renewal

In the course of our busy week, we most likely have times set apart for certain things that are important to us—a workout, a few social phone calls, or maybe even a short catnap—so that we can renew ourselves, our energy, and our perspective. Holy Week is a time that is set apart in our Church’s year for our spiritual renewal. In fact, the word holy refers to anything that is set apart for God’s purposes. Holy Week is holy precisely because it is time that is set apart for us to focus on how we are spiritually renewed through the suffering, death, and Resurrection of Jesus.

Holy Week is filled with some of the richest and most ancient symbols of our faith.

The waving of palms on Passion (Palm) Sunday reminds us that we are called to be followers of Jesus, not just fans who cheer from a distance.

The washing of feet on Holy Thursday speaks to us of the selfless love that we are called to practice in imitation of Jesus.

The Stations of the Cross on Good Friday reminds us that, as Christians, we believe that Jesus can overcome anything, even death.

The joy of Easter Sunday speaks to us of the new life that is ours because of Jesus’ triumph over the darkness of sin and death through his resurrection.

This Holy Week allow yourself time apart, holy time, to spend with Jesus. It may be a time set apart to un-clutter your mind, lay down your burdens, and renew your faith in Jesus.

What can you give?

As we look around the world today we realize we have been given a lot. Even for those who are struggling, we wake up each morning, get out of a soft toasty bed, and stumble off to wash up and dress, maybe grab a cup of coffee or tea. We do all that without thinking about it, and sometimes without even giving thanks that God has graced us with another day.

Stop for a moment and think about all those who wake up each morning without—without a roof over their head, without a bed or blanket, without running water or a second set of clothes, without electricity or food. What about those who physically can’t get out of bed. And these people are not only in far away countries such as Haiti, they are right here in our own backyard.

Not only are our neighbors in need of our financial help, we need to think of other ways we can share our time and talents with others. What random acts of kindness can you spread upon your little corner of God’s great earth this Lenten season?

A dinner casserole to a stressed neighbor, helping a neighbor with the snow, our time, visiting with a lonely neighbor, what talents can you share with your Church family? Our neighbors here on LI? Can you make someone’s life just a little easier or brighter?

Everyone can do this one—give your smile away to a total stranger, you you’ll be surprised how much you’ll get in return.

Does your Focus need a check-up?

Where or what is your focus?

What’s on your schedule?

Are you so busy you don’t have time to do another thing?

Isn’t that last statement the truth! Look back over your datebook, during the last few months what was taking up your time? Was it things that really matter in your life? Were you attending your kid’s events? Were you present for your family? Really present? Or were you so frazzled all you could do was snap at your family? Were you and your family growing together in Christ? Were you teaching your children about the things that are really important to you? Were your actions really showing the things that are important to you? Or are many of the things on your To do List “busy work” things? Did you say “yes” to things you really didn’t want to do? If you want to meet up with friends does it sometimes take 6-8 weeks to find an open date on your calendar?

Let’s think about this for a minute, is there a way to regain your focus? I believe so. First of all, to do this you need to be sure of what your focus really is, but how do you figure that out? Let’s ponder that for a few minutes, if I were to leave this earth today what do I want people to remember about me?

The answer to the last question is your focus. What is important to you and how are you getting there? Where do you need to work on your focus? Your spiritual life? Your home life? Your work life? I believe the answer is easy – if we keep our eye on the prize, the path is laid out for us. I believe if we don’t place importance on our spiritual life the other aspects of our life become more difficult than they have to be.

I remember the first time I realized that if I started my week at church in community - my week seemed to go much smoother and easier. And how the times I stayed in bed for just an hour or so more sleep, the week was harder to piece together. The combination of praying together, just as Jesus did, the fellowship with my church friends and knowing if I needed extra strength someone else would be praying for me that week, well that really makes my week go easier. And sometimes hearing about others in the community who need my prayers put everything into perspective. Maybe just maybe, I didn’t have it so bad, and my prayers for my church community not only took my mind off my issues for just a few minutes, but made me realize I don’t have it so bad.

Easter is a time of new beginnings, how lucky we are to be entering this wonderful season in our church and life. The sun is shinning, the birds are singing, new life is budding all around us. Now is the time to take stock of who we are, who we want to be and how we are going to get there. Or another way we can ask is - Are we where we want to be? If not how we are going to get there? Who, what or where, the key to the answer is the same. Focus on your spiritual life - on the work of serving others and a lot of the other things will just fall into place without even thinking about it.

Let’s start by putting first things first. Who is first in your life? I know God is in mine. Ok, work with me for a minute and try this exercise. Get out your calendar, and on every Sunday write “renew your spirit” do this as far into the future till your have 4 Sundays in a row with only renew your spirit written on them. On each Sunday that only has “renew your spirit” written on it pencil in a light X, so nothing else gets planned that day.

Now you get to choose how to best renew your spirit, it could start at church and then home for a cup of tea and the newspaper or maybe a Sunday brunch out. Others may come home from church and have a big old fashioned family dinner. One year, I did this every other week for extended family and the kids still remember Uncle Tom’s discussion of how God doesn’t like vegetables, or the time cousin Bill taught them to pitch pennies. We created memories. Maybe a walk on the beach picking up shells, or sitting watching the seagulls after church, what ever it is that builds you up and eases some of the stress of our hectic world.

You need to take a day to rest, God did. On the seventh day He rested, wow, that’s powerful. What makes me think I’m stronger than God? If he needed a day to rest and recharge, so do I. The Orthodox Jews have the Sabbath, years ago our grandparents rested on Sunday, why even back then the stores were closed on Sundays. So work with me here and try an entire month of “renewing your spirit” and recharging. This means no housework, the dust bunnies and dirty laundry will be there waiting for you on Monday. No grocery shopping, stay away from the hustle and bustle of all the stores and malls. This may take a little bit of planning during the week, but I know you can do it. You mind and body will thank you the next week when it’s tired and stressed, it can look forward to next Sunday when it’s another “recharge your spirit day.” I bet you that after a month you will want to continue this if not every week then every few weeks, I think if you don’t continue this you will miss it. Yes, it does take some effort in the planning but the effort will reward you with a more peaceful and lower stressful life.

The law of inertia tells us that objects in motion tend to stay in motion and objects at rest tend to stay at rest. So, moving from stationary to active will require some effort to get started, Moving from busy (running in place) to productive (going somewhere) won’t necessarily require more effort, just different effort – in a different direction –to create a different end result. So, let’s start today and give you Focus a check-up.