The Temple Of The King (Matthew 21:12-17.

There's a lot going on this week. For starters, it's Spring Break for many of you, which for most people is a good thing. A chance to get away, unwind, relax, or merely break the routine for a few days. On the other hand, we also have TAX DAY this week, which makes most people groan. Then we have Maundy Thursday (Maundy comes from the Latin word "Mandatum," which means "command." See John 13 for further explanation). This is followed by Good Friday (you want to know why we call the day Jesus died ... "Good" ? Come to our joint service with Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian in Purcellville, 7 pm at their church). And then, thankfully, we come to Easter Sunday, where we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus. It's a great day of great joy and I look forward to it every year.

But a number of other things happen this week in the life of Jesus as well. And one of those is the Cleansing of the Temple in Matthew 21:12-17, our passage this week. So how are we going to get from the serious event of the Temple being cleansed to the joyful event of the The Lord being risen? That's the conundrum, isn't it? And when I figure it out, I'll let you know. On Sunday. See you then, Dr. Dave