I don’t know what it is about this Easter season, but it’s hitting me more than it ever has in my life. I’ve believed in His death and resurrection, I’ve believed He was both man and God, and I’ve believed His sacrifice was birthed out of an indescribable love for us, but shoot, this year is different.
Though my physical location changes so regularly these days, I’m currently residing in Antigua, Guatemala. It’s become one of my favorite cities in the world and incidentally, it is host to one of the largest Easter celebrations in the Western Hemisphere. Holy Week, or Semana Santa, essentially shuts down the entire town, but the big events happen on Good Friday. The locals stay up all night on Thursday to create these beautiful carpets, or alfombras, made up of sawdust, flowers, fruits, and various other food items. We even saw one that depicted the story of Moses and the Red Sea with the figures made out of bread. The carpet was built in front of one of the best bread shops, or pastelarias, in Antigua, and the owner donated the bread as an offering. Accompanying these alfombras are many processions, where people carry statues of the various stages of Jesus’ crucifixion. Some of the floats are big enough to require 300 people to carry. When asked why they choose to participate, they say it is an honor to carry the burden, much like Jesus carried the cross. Interestingly, they place far less importance on the actual day of Easter. Their focus is the pain of the crucifixion, rather than the celebration of the resurrection.
Given our proximity to this incredible celebration, we woke up early the morning of Good Friday to go see some of these alfombras. We were fortunate to see some of them in progress and even had the opportunity to add some colored sawdust to one of the alfombras right beneath the iconic Arch in the city. What blew my mind the most about the experience was how the people build these beautiful creations knowing they will only last for several hours. The processions come through not long after they are constructed and the result is the destruction of the alfombras.
Photo cred: Madeline Jackson
I was touched by this more than I expected to be. It made me realize that beauty, however fleeting, is worth it. Much like the woman who poured perfume on the feet of Jesus could have been viewed as a waste, these creations are a beautiful testament to the fact that our Lord is worth the time it takes to create temporary beauty. Our worship is a pleasing aroma to Him, no matter how long it lasts.
How often do I take the time to make something beautiful for no other purpose than to acknowledge and love my Jesus?
We watched The Passion of the Christ yesterday as well. That is certainly not a movie to casually engage in. The last time I saw it, I was in 6th grade and went to see it in theaters with my church. While it was impactful for me then, nothing could have prepared me for how difficult it was to watch. I cried for the vast majority of the movie. It was a reminder of how deserving we are of the worst punishment and yet, Jesus says, “I’ve got this. You’re spoken for.”
One of the scenes that struck me was when the man helped Jesus carry the cross the last leg of the excruciating walk. The man encouraged Him and literally was carrying the burden WITH Christ.
I’m coming out of a challenging season with the Lord. It’s made me question some of His goodness, which is a worthwhile discussion to have with Him because it means we are moving into an even more authentic relationship. The old taglines don’t work anymore, and we are moving into the meatier topics. This morning, He and I were talking about burdens. I was explaining how it feels like He’s given me this burden that is simply too much to carry. Then He hit me with a bomb:
“Brave, your courage is not in carrying the burden. No, no. We all carry burdens. The bravery comes from setting down the wrong burdens and fully releasing them. You live into your name when you pick up the right burden, my burden. As soon as you do, my love, it won’t feel like a burden anymore. I’m not saying the release is easy, but it will give you the relief you crave.”
In essence, this burden I thought I was supposed to carry was, in fact, a burden I’d decided to pick up, but wasn’t the one He asked me to carry. Woof.
All this to say, His yoke is easy and His burden is light because of the weight of His death and resurrection. The work is truly done. It helped me understand the culture of Easter in Antigua a little better. Who wants to spend time contemplating the pain of His death when the resurrection celebration is so much sweeter? Should we choose to neglect to be with Him in the pain of His crucifixion, we miss the absolute gift of a light burden.
So, my conclusion is this: when you realize you picked up the wrong burden, set it down, and find a way to give the Lord something just because you can. Maybe it’s a bottle of perfume, or an alfombra…it’s your choice, but He is worth it because of what He did on the cross.
Happy Easter. He is risen indeed.
