The Grand Slam of Holy Week
16 April 2025
Is the man in the photo weeping with joy or despair?
My wife LuAnne is not a golf fan. But she was glued to the Masters Tournament this past Sunday afternoon when Rory McIlroy became only the sixth golfer ever to win the sport’s prestigious Grand Slam title.
So much was behind his release of tears and emotion. Repeatedly in the lead, Rory would hit the water or blow a putt. But then he’d hit an amazing air-bender to claw back to the top. Able to seal the deal on the 18th whole, he choked on a four-foot stroke. This forced a play-off hole and the commentators acknowledged the demons lurking from Rory’s many previous melt-downs or “close but no cigar” efforts. But finally, with a three-foot putt, victory was his.
In these Wednesday emails to you, sometimes I might stretch an analogy. So let’s see how Rory’s story helps us think afresh about this Holy Week.
Acclamation.
First, Rory was greeted by throngs of fans, shouting praise as he processed down the greens. So too, the Jerusalem crowds waved not green jackets, but green palm branches to welcome Jesus in a charged parade.
Waiting.
Rory tried 14 years before he succeeded in winning the Augusta, Georgia trophy. Jesus, even more so, admits before the Palm Sunday parade his agony over the elusive goal of deeply connecting with the citizens of God’s cherished city: “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”
Four Key Events.
To secure his place in history, Rory won four key tournaments: the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and The Open Championship. Which one is most important? It can be debated, but all are required. Same for Christians and Holy Week services. In four key services, we’ll dive deep into the life-giving meaning Jesus offered across the span of four days. Which one is most important? They all are and function together.
That is why you are invited to all four upcoming services:
Maundy Thursday Service, 6:30 PM in Sanctuary
Good Friday Tenebrae Service, 6:30 PM in Sanctuary
Easter Vigil Service, 6:30 PM at Palmetto Road
Easter Sunday Services, 8:30 AM, 9:45 AM, and 11:00 AM
The Hole is Hard.
The cup, or hole, on a regulation golf course is 4.25 inches in diameter. Golfers miss it all the time. Who knows the width of the hole in which Jesus’ body was laid. But Scripture tells us no other body was laid there. And it was a hole that would witness history’s most revolutionary event! Despair yielding to hope. Death giving way to life.
So, if Rory’s Thursday-Sunday story caused grown men to get emotional this last Sunday watching the Masters, let’s “tune in” tomorrow for the most amazing Thursday-Sunday sequence of the Ultimate Master. Who wins the trophy for each of us!
In Christ’s hope,
Pastor Fritz
Let us pray.
“Prepare our heart and schedule for the journey of Holy Week. Through the “bogies and birdies” of our lives, remind us that you are with us. In the incredible words and deeds of Jesus this week, let his example become hope, healing, and heading for our lives. In the name of the Master, Jesus, our crucified and risen Christ. Amen.”
Questions of preparation:
1. What are my plans for attending Holy Week services at COS?
2. Do I have some time to pick up my Bible today and read for myself one gospel version of the events of Holy Week?
3. If I can’t attend services, what can I do to lean into the “holiness” of what Christians world-wide remember this week?
4. How might I have a conversation with a family member or friend about our thoughts about what Jesus offers us this week?