So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. John 19:40-41 ESV
…for apart from Me, you can do nothing. John 15:5b, quoting Jesus
Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Downtown:
Total, abject failure, right on the heels of great success. Everything was going great, the accolades were flying, the crowds amazed and enemies on the run. And then, Jesus was suddenly betrayed and crucified. All that His disciples had worked so hard to achieve in the last three years was seemingly for nothing. They had left their jobs, their families and their lives to follow Jesus, and now their dreams were shattered, and their future was in great peril.
They had to go home and explain the disaster to their wives and families. They had to pick up the scattered ashes of their old lives and try to start again.
They had to come to grips with total, abject failure.
Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, Mary, Martha and Jesus’ disciples did the very best they could do; they honored their friend and their Lord by trying to hide the smell of His death by wrapping His body in 75 pounds of spices. If they couldn’t fix the problem, at least they could try minimizing the stench.
When we humans face such difficult circumstances as they did, we often do the same thing; we try to deny the failure, pretend the death didn’t occur, or put on a brave face. We do the best we can do, but our efforts are sometimes pitifully small. They really don’t solve the problem. We try to cover our sin, our follies, our addictions and our failures with our own version of 75 pounds of spices. It’s pretty clear, however, that bling, good works and bright smiles just covers “stuff” up; it doesn’t really change our situation.
The disciples learned, of course, that God was the only One who had the power to change their situation. Their efforts to change the situation, while noble, paled in comparison with God’s power to resurrect Jesus.
Are you facing the death of a dream, a person, or your dearly-held plans? God is a master at resurrection. His love for us will be on full display this weekend at Trinity Downtown as we recognize Jesus’ sacrifice and celebrate His resurrection. Come join us as we contemplate the depth of his sacrifice at our Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services at 6:30 pm. Come celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with us on:
We are working hard to ensure that everyone that wants to participate in-person on Sunday will have a seat in the Sanctuary, the Narthex or the Foyer. If you haven’t yet RSVP’d for an Easter Sunday service, you may add your name to our waiting list by clicking here. If you are not comfortable attending an in-person service, you can watch the “live stream” of our Satellite Service at 5:00 pm on Saturday, or our Easter Festival services on Sunday at 9:00 am and 11:00 am by clicking here. And, of course, you may also participate by watching any of these services “on demand” by clicking here.
If you have a reservation for Easter Sunday, please do your best to arrive at least 15 minutes before the service begins. We will hold reservations up to 10 minutes before each service. After that point, we will do our best to accommodate guests that come without a reservation with a seat in or near the Sanctuary. The full service will be simulcast in the Gym for those that prefer that venue or those that we are unable to seat in or near the Sanctuary.
If you have made reservations and find that your plans have changed, please contact Stefanie at our Welcome Desk at 713.224.0684 from 8:30 am – 2:30 pm weekdays, or email Trinity Garrett at tgarrett@trinitydt.org so we may reassign your seats.
I look forward to celebrating the most important event in world history with you this Resurrection weekend.
Your Pastor,
Michael Dorn