You Don’t Have to Be Ready

Luke 23:42–43 “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Summary: You don’t have to be ready for Holy Week because God meets you exactly where you are.

Dear Friends,

Holy Week begins tomorrow, and I want to say something clearly. You don’t have to be ready.

Most people come into this week feeling behind. Life has been full. Prayer has been inconsistent. Maybe you gave up chocolate for Lent and ate chocolate on the first day of Lent. Faith may feel distant or quiet. If that is you, you are not alone. In fact, you are exactly where many people in the story of Holy Week find themselves.

You don’t need to have prayed more.

You don’t need to feel more faithful.You don’t need to understand everything.

Holy Week meets you as you are, not as you wish you were.

When I look at the people closest to Jesus in his final days, I do not see spiritual perfection. I see confusion, fear, and even failure. Peter denies. The disciples scatter. The crowd shifts. And yet Jesus continues to move toward them with love.

Even on the cross, a man turns to Jesus with only a simple, last-minute prayer. No preparation. No polished faith. Just a quiet hope. And Jesus meets him there with mercy.

That is the pattern of this week. God does not wait for us to get it right. God comes to us in the middle of real life. In the stress, in the doubt, in the places where we feel unprepared or unsure.

So my invitation is simple. Come as you are. Show up if you can. Listen. Watch. Let the story unfold around you. Let it speak to your life as it is right now.

You do not have to force meaning. You do not have to manufacture faith. Trust that God is already at work in you.

Holy Week is not something you achieve. It is something you enter.

And you are already welcome,

Pastor Anny+

Prayer

Loving God, meet me where I am this week and open my heart to your presence. Help me trust that I am already held in your love. Amen.

Holy Week Schedule

Maundy Thursday, April 2

6:00 p.m.

Holy Eucharist and remembrance of the Last Supper

Good Friday

Church open for prayer from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

12:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross

Followed by the Examination of Conscience

6:00 p.m. Traditional Good Friday Service

Easter Vigil, April 4

5:00 p.m.

Appetizer Reception after the service Our first celebration of the Resurrection

Easter Sunday, April 5

10:00 a.m.

Festive Holy Eucharist

Followed by a Children’s Easter Egg Hunt