Reflections on Holy Week

I went to a popular beach on the windward side of O’ahu recently and was amazed at how much microplastic littered the shoreline. In fact, all sizes of plastic waste were all sizes of plastic waste were being tossed in the waves and strewn across the sand. I picked up what I could toss in the trash and felt grieved at how much we have defiled our earth with pollution. A prayer welled up in me as I began to ask God to help us restore the purity of His creation. I apologized profusely and felt so hopeless. There is nothing we can do to reverse the damage. We really need God to intervene, I thought!

And He did.

Roughly two thousand years ago, the invisible Creator God was made visible in His only begotten son, Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15). Like the waters of this once pristine shoreline, we have all been defiled by sin. We’ve lost our purity, and some of us have had it stolen. The word purity can come with its fair share of negative connotations. It may stir up feelings of shame, condemnation, and failure. You might have even rolled your eyes the moment you saw it, or is that just me? It used to be a bit triggering until I came to understand what the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ really meant for me on a personal level.

It's one thing to know that Jesus died for us according to another’s testimony, teaching, or Bible reading but it is entirely different when the knowing grows to become an understanding. There was this moment in my walk back to Jesus when the Holy Spirit took me to the feet of the cross for myself and as I gazed upon my Savior with a torrent of tears pouring out of my eyes, I understood.

His grace really is sufficient, and His blood really was powerful enough to cleanse me and make me new.

I could never regain my lost purity on my own. There are no do-overs or time machines.

But God.

He has made a way for all of us. He even promises us that there will be a new earth and a new heaven one day. That doesn’t mean we should stop caring about this earth or our bodies (both made of dirt), but we can trust that our God is a God of redemption. We can turn from our destructive ways and choose to follow Him at any moment. What a gift!

I love the way Pastor Bryan Sands uses the phrase, “Sexual Faithfulness” to discuss purity as something we can re-commit to at any time. Let this Holy week be a time of deep reflection and an opportunity to remain faithful in marriage, or singleness. Watch and share the video below with anyone who would be encouraged.

Happy Holy Week. He is Risen.