Book Ends: The Feast of the Annunciation and Good Friday

It's hard to believe that a week from today will be Good Friday.  In an interesting juxtaposition, the kind that Holy Week often brings us, it will also be the Feast of the Annunciation. 

My latest piece at the Living Lutheran site explores this juxtaposition.  Here are some quotes to whet your appetite:

"I realize that churches that celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation will move the feast day if it falls in or near Holy Week. But as Holy Week approaches, let’s think about how these days are more similar than different – even if they seem like book-ends to the incarnate life of Jesus."

"You may or may not remember that the feast day of the Annunciation celebrates the appearance of the angel Gabriel who tells Mary of her opportunity to be part of God's mission of redemption."

"In many ways Jesus has an experience similar to Mary’s. He, too, must wait for the time to be right for his part in the story. He, too, has a relationship with God that most of us will never have. Most of us are just too busy."

"God chooses the least likely for the greatest tasks, as the Feast of the Annunciation celebrates. Good Friday, on the other hand, reminds us of all the ways our hopes can be dashed, the ways we can be betrayed and abandoned, and the ways that it can all go so terribly wrong."

Read the whole piece here.