Walk faithfully with Christ, and he will walk faithfully with you

When the idea of expounding upon the fruit of the Spirit throughout Lent was taking shape, I immediately knew that I wanted to “save” the fruit of faithfulness for Holy Week. There is an organic connection between the dramatic emotional journey we engage in during this time and our desire for faithfulness in lives, especially during difficult and trying times. Although the triumphant “end” is in sight, we do ourselves a disservice if we neglect our spiritual development if we do not walk with Jesus from the celebratory entry into Jerusalem, to the Passover table, to the garden and to the cross. Our own faithfulness is inspired and bestowed upon us through Jesus’ sacrifice.

All of the fruit of the Spirit are clearly present in Jesus’ life and actions.  He is the embodiment of what it looks like to live according to God’s will and how it allows us to be closer to God.  Yet the Gospels show us that it is not easy to follow God’s will, even when you are God incarnate.  A pattern of public proclamation, teaching and healing is always followed by a period of rest, renewal and prayer.  Jesus’ faithfulness was bolstered by his commitment to be communion with God often by both sharing the Good News with others and making time to nurture a personal relationship.

Many people “wish” for more faith, but, much like diet and exercise, “wishing” doesn’t offer real results – doing does! It takes time, energy and commitment to develop spiritual muscles in order to feel more connected to God, to feel more faithful.  In Holy Week we see the fruit of Jesus entire life come to a deciding moment in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he prays whole-heartedly for a different path.  Perhaps you have offered a similar prayer when facing a medical diagnosis for yourself, or a child or a parent.  Maybe it was about a financial situation or a relationship that was failing.  It takes much spiritual strengthen to pray, “Not my will, but YOUR will.”  It is the definition of faithfulness, to trust that regardless of the difficulty of the path set before us, we trust that God will walk with us through it and there on the other side, whatever that might look like.  It might feel like we are being crucified, suffering in ways we would rather avoid, but if we believe that God will never abandon or forsake us, we will endure and be stronger for it.

But in order to get the payoff, we have to follow the regimen.  We start on Palm Sunday, also known as Praise and Passion Sunday.  The vast emotional arc of the entire week is established through our remembering of Jesus’ joyful entry into Jerusalem, only to be abandoned and forsaken a few moments later.  On Wednesday, Fr. Breedlove will offer the wonderful and ancient service of Tenebre that emphasizes the darkness of the world without the light of God breaking through into our lives.  On Maundy Thursday, we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist and humbly have our feet washed as a symbol of God’s love for us. Good Friday draws us to the foot of the cross, offering repentance for both what we have done and what has been done on our behalf, praying for the redemption of the world while recognizing God’s amazing grace and mercy as we cannot repay what Christ has done for us.

Faithfully, we walk this path of remembrance while recognizing how these stories take shape in our lives today.   By bearing witness to the pain and suffering, we also see God’s presence and use that in the challenges we face every day.  Come, walk faithfully with Christ, and he will walk faithfully with you.

In Christ,

Rev. Valerie+

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