Semana Santa

No, you English speakers, despite the "santa" in the name, this has nothing to do with Christmas! Semana Santa is the Spanish name for Holy Week - the seven days leading up to Easter Sunday - and it's a big thing in Spain. Here in Málaga province, many towns, large and small, are known for the pomp and extravagance of their Semana Santa parades. A lot of men are needed to carry the huge and heavy statues of the "Virgen" (virgin Mary) and often there are groups of masked and hooded characters (which to me are strangely reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan.) Adults and children alike dress up to be part of the procession, or to line the streets and watch it go by.

From my perception, the strangest thing of all about these semana santa celebrations is that there is sometimes no evidence at all of honouring or celebrating Jesus! After all, He is the reason that we celebrate this week in the calendar of the church around the world; we want to remember the fact that He loved us enough to die for us... and that God was strong and powerful enough to defeat death and bring Jesus back to life again. Recently I was reading in Ephesians chapter one, and was so encouraged by verses 19 - 20, which say that God's power at work in our lives - yours and mine, if we are followers of Jesus - is exactly the same power that He used when He raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him in heaven. Wow! Sometimes I forget, or take for granted, that this very same resurrection power can be at work even in my ordinary, relatively unimportant life in the 21st century.

Here in Alhaurín de la Torre, our new little church congregation will be having a special communion service tonight to remember the fact that Jesus shed His blood to bring us new life. And on Sunday evening, the children and teenagers will all be part of a special Easter service when we can celebrate the resurrection together.

For many people, Jesus isn't honestly a big focus at Easter time: whether they have "religious" actitivities like here in Málaga, or whether they turn their attention mainly to Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs, many people leave Jesus pretty much in the background. I don't know what your "semana santa" is usually like... but my prayer for you, as for myself, is that Jesus will be at the centre of it, and that your Easter will be full of the joy of knowing His new life and resurrection power. May God bless you this Semana Santa... and may your Easter be a happy one!