I remember hearing about a precocious little boy who was getting into trouble and his mother told him that he had better be good, it was Holy Week. And he thought about it a minute and finally said to her genuinely, "But what if I don't want to be holy all week?"
We have arrived at Holy Week, and it will undoubtedly be the most different and strange Holy Week that any of us have ever experienced. Being in lockdown mode, taking protective precautions, learning of the virus hitting close to home, fighting not to be afraid.
And yet, we can find meaning in this time. We can spend more time in prayer, more time reading, and even studying, the Bible. We can look for the good things that are happening, "God sightings" as we sometimes call them, whether it be the ways people are helping each other that we hear about on the news, or the meaningful time we're spending at home with our families. I love to look out the window each morning and see the changes that are occurring in this season: the new buds and blossoms, the increasing color of green everywhere.
God is all around, and within, and we are especially attuned to that during this time of year and during this week leading up to Easter.
So my encouragement during this week is to PACE yourself. By that what I mean is to not try and overdo it spiritually at any one time or on any one day. Try and make steady and slow progress through the week. Spend an increasing amount of time in prayer or with the Bible each day as the week progresses. Let the church help, by attending online our Maundy Thursday service at 7:00 PM, and the Good Friday observance at 2:00 in the afternoon. You'll need a ZOOM invitation from Pastor Doug to attend on Friday, so email him right away at doug@sumc.org <mailto:doug@sumc.org>, since space is limited.
Our District Superintendent, Dr. Aleze Fulbright, has even suggested several acronyms for the letters of the word PACE. PACE can mean:
Personally Attend to your Care Everyday, and
Positive Attitudes Change Everything, and
Prayerfully Assess the Changing Expectations
Maybe there are others you can think of, but all of these are appropriate as we go through this particular week at this particular time in history.
So PACE yourself this week, PACE yourself each week until the week comes when we see each other again.
