The week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday is called Holy Week.  During these days, we come together frequently for worship to witness closely God’s re-ordering of the world through Jesus.

On Maundy Thursday Jesus re-orders the world through telling his followers that his Kingdom is comprised of servants.  Unless you want to take on the role of a servant, you have no place in God’s Kingdom.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. – John 13:35   He charges his disciples to live as servants of God in the world

On Good Friday Jesus re-orders the world by choosing death for the sake of our life.  For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. – John 10:17-18  Knowing that God cannot deny God’s justice, and that we can never satisfy the justice of God, Jesus satisfies that justice through his very self.  God gives God’s self so that we might be free from death.

On Holy Saturday, at the Easter Vigil, Jesus re-orders the world through his resurrection, revealing that our freedom comes from our obedience in following him.  Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. – Romans 6:4  In Jesus, we see that placing our life in God’s hands is for God’s glory and our life made new.

On Easter Sunday, Jesus re-orders the world by showing that our differences don’t divide us since we are united in him.  Instead, they illuminate the expansiveness of God’s salvation.  Peter began to speak to Cornelius and the other Gentiles: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” – Acts 10:34  As followers of Jesus, we embrace our uniqueness and offer it to God in service of his mission in the world.

Through Holy Week, we remember that we “belong” because we are all God’s creation, made from his infinite love.  We also remember our “purpose,” which is to live in the hope of God’s salvation, made evident in our practice of loving our neighbor.

(to hear the sermons for each service, please go to the About tab and click on Sermons)

*Belonging with Purpose is a weekly news update of how our purpose is being reflected through the collective and individual lives of St. Stephen’s.  If you have a story or experience that you believe illustrates our Vision and Mission, please send it to Ginny Fitzpatrick, gfitzpatrick@ststephens-ridgefield.org  The staff works together to create a schedule for highlighting our ministry as St. Stephen’s Church.

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