I promised when I set up this blog that there would be a post every day in Holy Week. What I love about Holy Week is that it is an opportunity to journey ‘in real time’ with Jesus and the disciples through those significant days in Jerusalem in the first century. I invite you to join with me on this journey.
I have thought about how to share something every day in Holy Week and I have decided that I will follow the readings as laid out in Matthew’s gospel as part of the Big Read 2011 each day and write a reflection from the perspective of a minor character in that part of the passion story. So look out each day to read the passion account in Matthew’s gospel with me, and see it from different perspectives.
Other than my blog here there is also the opportunity to explore the events of Holy Week online through Twitter, through the hugely creative project EasterLIVE.
Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week and also the beginning of EasterLIVE. People around the world have signed up to tweet (send messages) in character reflecting on the events of the first Holy Week. I don’t think the organisers or anyone else really knew what would happen until it started today.
Each tweet contains the ‘hashtag’ #easterLIVE – this is a Twitter link that if you click on it (hashtags only work on Twitter as hyperlinks) you can read all the tweets containing that hashtag.
If you’re intrigued about Twitter, EasterLIVE would be a good introduction. To get started, just visit http://twitter.com and type #easterLIVE into the search bar. Then a page will appear with all the EasterLIVE tweets. If you would like to join Twitter but are not sure how it works, please see my guide here.
Here are some of my favourite tweets from today:
Jesus is entering the City and everyone is having a great time, but can’t help feeling uneasy, why? #EasterLIVE
#OVERHEARD on the roadside: “There’s a lot of commotion. Some guy’s parading around on a donkey and there’s a massive crowd!” #EasterLIVE#Benny pub landlord: Passover always good for business. Pilate entering Jerusalem today, lots of thristy squaddies! #EasterLIVE
#Thaddeus: Checked in at #Jerusalem http://bit.ly/e7hjdS Finally made it through the gate #party #EasterLIVE#Thomas: Looks like we are heading for the Temple. Could be interesting#EasterLIVE
Lost: One donkey. Last seen tethered in Bethany High Street. Answers to name of Dobbin. Reward for safe return.#easterLIVE
As you can see, there’s a real mixture of the profound and the comical – much like real news events in our day. This twitter experiment is revealing the diversity of people’s reactions to Jesus. It will be interesting to continue the journey this week.
Today, I’ll leave you with a video for reflection on Palm Sunday which I saw on my friend Bex’s EasterLIVE blog:
Bryony Taylor 