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BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: Now, a look at the meaning of Holy Week and Easter through the eyes of best-selling author Frederick Buechner. Buechner is one of the most highly acclaimed modern Christian writers. He's also an ordained minister whose works on life and faith are widely quoted in Easter sermons. Kim Lawton caught up with Buechner in the churchyard of the historic Pisgah Presbyterian Church in Lexington, Kentucky.
KIM LAWTON: During Holy Week, Christians remember the last events in the life of Jesus -- the stories and teachings that form the foundation of their faith. The observances of Holy Week are ancient and familiar. Christians say the 2,000-year-old Easter themes of suffering, redemption, and hope have enduring meaning.
Author and ordained Presbyterian minister Frederick Buechner says he finds great reassurance in those beliefs, especially during a time of war and uncertainty.
FREDERICK BUECHNER (Author and Presbyterian Minister): Martin Luther said once, "If I were God, I'd kick the world to pieces." But Martin Luther wasn't God, God is God, and God has never kicked the world to pieces. He keeps reentering the world, keeps offering himself to the world -- by grace, keeps somehow blessing the world, making possible a kind of life which we all, in our deepest being, hunger for.
LAWTON: On the church calendar, Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when Christians wave palm branches as did the citizens who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. Buechner says this year, he was struck anew by the biblical account in Luke, which also describes Jesus as weeping because the city didn't recognize how true peace could be attained.
Mr. BUECHNER: And I thought he could be saying that just as easily today -- would that the world, the United States, knew the things that make for peace. So I thought a lot about Jesus' tears for Jerusalem, how he would be weeping still, again, today.
LAWTON: On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, Christians remember the betrayal, crucifixion, and death of Jesus. The services are somber and mournful. They focus on Jesus' suffering -- something Buechner says everyone can relate to.
Mr. BUECHNER: Which of us has not suffered, one way or another? I mean, we've all had our crucifixions, where God seems to be absent and light seems to disappear and the world is dark and terrifying.
LAWTON: According to the Bible story, on the cross, just before his death, Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Mr. BUECHNER: We've all known our dark times. We've all felt abandoned by God or felt there was no such thing as God to abandon us, just the emptiness, the craziness of the world.
LAWTON: Yet the story doesn't end there. According to Christian teaching, three days after the crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead, forever conquering sin and death. The horror of the cross opened the way to salvation and new life for everyone.
KIM LAWTON: During Holy Week, Christians remember the last events in the life of Jesus -- the stories and teachings that form the foundation of their faith. The observances of Holy Week are ancient and familiar. Christians say the 2,000-year-old Easter themes of suffering, redemption, and hope have enduring meaning.
Author and ordained Presbyterian minister Frederick Buechner says he finds great reassurance in those beliefs, especially during a time of war and uncertainty.
FREDERICK BUECHNER (Author and Presbyterian Minister): Martin Luther said once, "If I were God, I'd kick the world to pieces." But Martin Luther wasn't God, God is God, and God has never kicked the world to pieces. He keeps reentering the world, keeps offering himself to the world -- by grace, keeps somehow blessing the world, making possible a kind of life which we all, in our deepest being, hunger for.LAWTON: On the church calendar, Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when Christians wave palm branches as did the citizens who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem. Buechner says this year, he was struck anew by the biblical account in Luke, which also describes Jesus as weeping because the city didn't recognize how true peace could be attained.
Mr. BUECHNER: And I thought he could be saying that just as easily today -- would that the world, the United States, knew the things that make for peace. So I thought a lot about Jesus' tears for Jerusalem, how he would be weeping still, again, today.
LAWTON: On Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, Christians remember the betrayal, crucifixion, and death of Jesus. The services are somber and mournful. They focus on Jesus' suffering -- something Buechner says everyone can relate to.
Mr. BUECHNER: Which of us has not suffered, one way or another? I mean, we've all had our crucifixions, where God seems to be absent and light seems to disappear and the world is dark and terrifying.
LAWTON: According to the Bible story, on the cross, just before his death, Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"Mr. BUECHNER: We've all known our dark times. We've all felt abandoned by God or felt there was no such thing as God to abandon us, just the emptiness, the craziness of the world.
LAWTON: Yet the story doesn't end there. According to Christian teaching, three days after the crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead, forever conquering sin and death. The horror of the cross opened the way to salvation and new life for everyone.
Easter morning. They gather in darkness and await the light of Easter.
LAWTON: On Easter Sunday, in church after church, year after year, sorrow gives way to rejoicing as Christians celebrate the idea that death doesn't have the final word. Pageantry, singing, flowers, even new clothes all symbolize the Christian belief that Jesus overcame death -- and so will all who believe. It's a victory, Christians say, that transcends time and circumstance.
