The emotional Holy Week roller coaster starts with Palm Sunday and its sweet taste of success and popularity as the crowds cheer Jesus on as he entered Jerusalem. It follows with the bitter taste of failure and betrayal as Jesus is crucified on Good Friday. Thankfully, the ride does not end there. We finish the tour with the elated resurrection joy on Sunday. How do you deal with all this?

Jesus takes all our false expectations, all our self-righteous thoughts, all our failures, disappointments, and betrayal and carries them on the cross so that we could be delivered from them. So that we could on Easter morning receive what he wants to give us: pure hearts filled with God’s love, grace, and peace.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezek. 36:26)

I let the Holy Spirit work in me as I feel all these emotions as I ride the emotional Holy Week roller coaster. Soon I realize also I have false expectations for Jesus. I need to surrender them and my own self-righteousness at the foot of the cross. Otherwise, I won’t feel resurrection joy on Easter Sunday and I desperately want and need that.

Emotional Holy Week Roller Coaster

Jesus came because each one of us needs him to save us. We can’t save ourselves no matter what. Being good does not get us into heaven, believing in Jesus and receiving his grace does.

And everyone who calls
    on the name of the Lord will be saved.
(Acts 2:21, NIV,*)

So I hold on as I ride this Holy Week roller coaster to the magnificent and life-changing end. The salvation plan of God is more amazing than we can understand. But it is lovingly prepared for each of us. Let’s receive it with thanks and praise.

Gracious God,
You are amazing.
Thank you for preparing our salvation for us.
We praise you for sending Jesus to die for us.
Thank you for all you have done are doing for us.
We are forever grateful and gladly receive what you have for us.
Guide us, lead us, prepare our hearts for resurrection joy.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How do you like riding the emotional Holy week roller coaster?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you embrace God’s salvation plan!

Photo by Francesco Alberti on Unsplash.