It's Wednesday evening of Easter Week, and I'm still DEAD DOG TIRED. (Note to self: find out origin of foregoing idiom...)

Holy Week has come and gone, and it was a very satisfying experience. People seemed to appreciate the rich feast of liturgy over the week. What few seem to appreciate (using the word in its other sense) is how much it takes out of the clergy, especially those masochistically inclined people like yours truly. For me, Holy Week is an emotional roller coaster, going from high to high, with that incredible low in the middle. To really preach the week takes a huge toll—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. By Sunday afternoon, there's not much left...

I suppose a smart person would take a few days off, but the life of the church goes on, and we're going away next week, so there is some preparation and planning that needs to happen. Things that got put aside during Lent come right back to the surface, and must be dealt with. And this morning the phone never stopped ringing, and the people never seemed to stop sticking their heads into my office.

Maybe it sounds like I'm complaining, but don't misunderstand me—it's a huge privilege to be able to celebrate Holy Week in this way. If only it weren't so gosh-darned tiring...