Holy Week - Sabbath

It is the time between Palm Sunday - and Easter Sunday Morning.

It is not yet Maundy Thursday. Not yet the Seder meal. Not yet the command to 'love one another.' Not yet Gethsemane. Not yet a trial. Not yet a friday - and not until after Sunday that we can think of it as a Good Friday.

There is so much that Christian persons pause to reflect on - to consider - to think about, in these days.

So much history about his-story as we remember it.

It seems inappropriate to think about "stopping" on this week. I am not sure why.

I think about the stories associated with Peter during the times of Jesus' trial. Peter, in a way, stood by and "stopped" and did nothing in the moments of Jesus' trial.

I wonder what Peter was thinking. I wonder what he was *really* thinking.

Did he want to intervene? We know, of course, that John's gospel tells us that he *had* intervened to cut-off the ear of Malchus. He was willing to *do* something. But then, at the trial, when we read about how Peter will deny Jesus three times, I think we have a tendency to view Peter as "weak" or "passive" or "unwilling" to identify with Jesus. But, the story of what Peter did at Gethsemane demonstrates he was quite active, strong, and willing to intervene.

Peter was willing to be active and intervene.

But, in some way, Peter was forced into a position of "stopping" - where he was forced to watch what happened with Jesus.

I am not sure that Peter was in "sabbath" in the way we think about sabbath, but being forced to stand by must have been a challenge for Peter.

In some ways, stopping and watching during this week of Passion is hard for me.

I am not good at stopping to watch when and where others "work." I am not good at stopping and watching when others serve me.

Perhaps during these next few days, I need to take more time to stop - watch - listen - and learn from what Jesus did and what Jesus does.