23 Mar Holy Week: Will You Be Here?

We are approaching Holy Week and with that occasion comes singing familiar songs about the crucifixion and suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. One song aptly named “Were You There?” is known as an African-American spiritual which can be traced to the time around the Civil War. Consider the questions that are brought to mind:

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?

Holy Week has me thinking about this question in a different way this year. Instead of “Were You There?” I’m wondering “Will You Be Here?” for special moments related to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. After a lengthy and sometimes lonely pandemic, it is time for us to be together.

When this pandemic began, I informed our people that “we are together even when we’re apart.” It was an effort to remind us of our unity and community as a family of faith. Our church utilized different technologies to stay informed and connected. And while online options remain, it does not take the place of gathering in person, in the same room, as other believers for worship.

The church is the church when we are “gathered” and even when we are “scattered.” Like many other churches, we are working through the re-gathering and re-connecting phase. There is no exact timetable for how long this period will last. However, I believe an important component of our re-connecting relates to being together for meaningful moments–like Holy Week. I want to challenge us NOT to miss out on these times of worship and fellowship:

April 10 Palm Sunday
April 14 Maundy Thursday Service
April 16 Children’s Easter Egg Hunt
April 17 Easter Sunday

There will be additional details to come. But, Holy Week is coming and it will be an emotional and meaningful time for First Baptist Church to be together.

Will YOU Be Here?–DC