A Tweets Worth of Truth for April

Here it is.

If you want the basic faith story, if you want to cut to the chase, if you want the executive summary, if you want the tweet of Christianity, here it is: Maundy Thursday – Love, Good Friday – God’s love on the cross, Easter – Love breaks all boundaries.

In one week’s time, from Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday through Easter, we may participate in a month’s worth of services, but in that compact time, we have the entire Christian message that we will approach again and again for the next year, for a lifetime of Christian experience. Christmas is beautiful, but the story of God can get lost in the colorful festivities. During Holy Week, we strip away the decorations – Palm Branches and the Shouts of a celebratory parade give way to abandonment, Jesus loses friends and supporters, loses the support of the religious folks of his day, loses his clothing, loses his dignity, becomes the object of derision in a personal death parade, and then hangs limp on a rough, rugged cross that is declared finished only by Jesus’ death. Then the Saturday period of darkness, followed by the dawn of some new God thing, Easter, which takes awhile to sink in for those previous ardent followers. And permeating it all is love. Jesus loves those gathered at the Last Supper and gives them a loving gift – a foot-washing of service, a meal with eternal benefits, a gift in fact that instructs followers in service and love, a meal that encourages all with the promise that Jesus will be with them no matter what. And the “what“ follows close behind. Service is abandoned as Jesus is abandoned; the eternal promise of love from God is forgotten in the haste to get away. But remember the love is eternal, so Jesus makes the lonesome journey to the cross. And Jesus who has emptied himself in coming to Earth now releases the last little bit and gives and gives and gives until he is gone. And the explanations are quieted, suspended until Easter when the sunrise breaks through the darkness of confusion and begins to enlighten those hesitant followers.

April 1 and the following week: here it is. The whole journey – the message which has not changed in almost 2000 years: love, God’s love on the cross, love breaks all boundaries.