Dear friend,

This post kicks off a week of guest posts to help us keep vigil with Jesus, each other, and our own hearts through Holy Week.

Jesus gave us a litany of last words, known as the Seven Last Words of Christ. The deathbed words of the Suffering Servant provide a framework for Holy Week. Each day between now and Resurrection Sunday, seven friends will share their own stories to help us retrieve lament and to keep vigil with Jesus. Their stories have helped form my understanding of cruciform suffering and I believe they could also encourage you too.

Each short story will be paired with an image, a Scripture passage, and a prayer. This year I’ve curated a series of contemporary icons from Ukrainian iconographers. As we hold space for each other’s stories, we take shelter under the outstretched arms of Christ for every story of suffering around the world. In order to lean toward the suffering in Ukraine, one of our storytellers is giving us the opportunity to send help to two organizations on the ground in Ukraine and neighboring friendly countries, and to receive a special thank you gift from Michelle Van Loon in return.

Thank you for sitting with me in my own story today. May you listen with an open prayerful heart and know the shelter of Christ for all that you lament this week.

Peace,

Tamara

p.s. Would you invite a friend to join us to read the stories with us?

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