Sweet Tomatoes and Hallelujahs

Last spring, my 6-year old son Samuel became fascinated with the compost pile in our back yard. He helped me shovel the rich, dark compost and begin to mix it with the soil; he helped me plant the crops, water them, and watch them begin to grow; and by mid-summer, he was able to help me enjoy the delicious tomatoes and cucumbers that we harvested.

As we completed the cycle of a garden’s life, the light bulb finally went off in his head.  He began to eagerly look for new items to place in the compost. I had already explained to Samuel how compost worked, but he had to live through the whole process – from one tomato’s scraps going into the compost one year, and helping grow a new tomato the next year – to truly appreciate the beauty and the joy of the yearly cycle.

 

It’s the same way for us as we approach the celebrations of Holy Week. It’s one thing to learn about great traditions such as spiritual disciplines, special worship services, and the fact that we burn last year’s palms to make this year’s ashes. It’s another thing to actually carry out those traditions with faithful consistency. Just as Samuel didn’t fully understand the process of composting until he experienced the whole cycle - we can’t fully comprehend what Holy Week means until we actually live and taste the whole cycle of the season.

In other words, the movements of Lent and Holy Week require us to have more than an intellectual understanding of the process, and they require more than occasional adherence. We must have an understanding of the heart that, much like Samuel’s love for compost, is born through consistent devotion over time. I encourage each of us to embrace the full experience of Holy Week. I encourage us to make a priority of attending the services that are on the church calendar, as well as engaging in personal acts of service and devotion.

If we do, we will know the truth of the resurrection not only in our minds, but deep down in our core being. And the “Hallelujahs” we sing on Easter will taste sweeter than any tomato from the garden.