Meditation:
 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is considered to be the holiest site in Christendom. It has traditionally been believed to be the location of three significant events, Jesus’ crucifixion, his burial, and the resurrection.
Pilgrims have come to this church in Jerusalem since the 4th century, just as we did in February of last year.
Control of the church building is shared between a number of Christian churches as it was permanently decided in 1767 and affirmed in 1852. A status quo was established. Primary control is held by the Greek Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Apostolic Churches.
I ascended the stairs to Golgotha and was surprised by what I did not feel. Whatever the emotional impact might have been, it was tempered by a crowd, a long line, and a Greek Orthodox priest sitting on a folding chair, impatiently commanding a woman, who had apparently taken too long a devotional time at the Rock of Calvary, with “Come on, come on!” For the priest it was just another day of keeping the line moving. It was status quo—the permanent state of affairs.
Maintaining the status quo makes no sense to me on this Good Friday.
Did not everything change on that Friday on Golgotha?
Jesus Christ died for you.
On Sunday, Jesus came out of the tomb and the church had a Savior. Forty days after that we had a mission.
I suppose we should not linger too long on the hill or near the tomb. But, maintaining the status quo is not what we are all about. |
