The Eminent Hope
I often imagine the very early roots of Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The desire to celebrate one last bit before spending several weeks in humble preparation for the holiness of Easter seems like a natural inclination. There is also something beautiful in recognizing that the transition to Ash Wednesday and Lent is ever eminent in that celebration. The fun times roll for sure, but in context, the party isn’t the point. The first time I heard that the streets of New Orleans are completely shut down at midnight on Shrove Tuesday I was amazed at how seriously the transition was taken.
This season of Lent is time set aside for us to open up. We remove distractions. We spend time articulating the purpose for turning our attention back to the true source of our hope and joy. We journey as a community toward Holy Week. Similar to the transition from Shrove Tuesday into Ash Wednesday, we will gather on Palm Sunday to wave palms and proclaim “Hosannah in the Highest!” for Jesus’ triumphal entry into the holy city of Jerusalem only to enter into the church and hear the account of his Passion. Neither the start of Lent nor the arrival on Palm Sunday cover the complete narrative, though. The true inverse comes at the end of Holy Week when we move in the other direction from the cross to the wonder of the empty tomb. Just as Ash Wednesday is eminent on Shrove Tuesday and the Passion is eminent as we enter the church with palms held high, our attention will be pulled into a fully new and unbelievable place at the end of this season and the completion of Holy Week.
I find it is always helpful in this season of Lent to keep in mind that ultimately we are getting ready to hear again the eternal account of God completing the story for us. There is no other reason for what happens on Palm Sunday and Good Friday. There is no other reason that Ash Wednesday is eminent on Shrove Tuesday. There is only the promise of true and full life in the resurrection. This is the story of what God has done and continues to do for us. I pray this season will be a time for us to breathe deeply of the eminence of God’s love manifest for us.
We love you and God loves you,
Josh Condon+