Holy Week ZZZZ's

Yesterday, I was reading the story in Matthew's Gospel about Jesus in the Garden of Gethesemene. He's got eleven of the Twelve with him -- Judas has already departed the scene. Jesus takes Peter and the two sons of Zebedee on ahead of the other eight and instructs them to "stay awake" while he prays. Three times Jesus prays that God's will be done in whatever awaits him. Three times he returns to Peter, James and John and finds them asleep. The final time, Matthew writes, "because their eyes were heavy."

The more I've thought of this scene and the more I've listened to clergy types make the annual statements concerning the amount of work attendant to our Holy Week schedules (looming ahead for next week). The more I've begun to wonder about how, if I'm not careful, I could very well spiritually "sleep walk" through the entire thing. Now my eyes will be wide open. I will be officiating and preaching and liturgizing all over the place. We will walk the way of the cross as a community of faith. It will all be more than worth the efforts expended by so many people.

But I am praying now that I won't miss the point of it all. Because it matters not whether we are producing the sounds of bone-weary snoring or hyperactive buzzing, the "zzzz's" will preclude us from watching with Jesus and seeing the victory of our God.