 | Prayer | | Dear People of God: Our heavenly Father sent his Son into
the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved; that all who believe in him might be delivered from the power of sin and death, and become heirs with him of everlasting life. ( BCP - p. 277) The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen. ( BOS - p. 27)
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If Ye Love Me
16th Century English Composer wrote
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St. James Weekly Epistle
Approaching the Paschal Triduum
April 4, 2012
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Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ
One of my Lenten disciplines has been to read Henry Nouwen's Daily Lenten Reflections in Renewed for Life. Monday's teaching seems especially important as we enter in the Paschal Triduum.
Nouwen writes: "When all is said and done, what we must learn above all is to offer ourselves -- imperfections and all -- to God. If we keep waiting until we are "worthy" of God, we will move farther rather than closer to him (God). It is through our broken, vulnerable, mortal ways of being that the healing power of the eternal God becomes visible to us. We are called each day to present to the Lord the whole of our lives -- our joys as well as sorrows, our successes as well as failures, our hopes as well as fears."
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday provide the Church's fullest understanding of life's realities for us as Christians. There is no liturgical or scriptural period of time that so completely encompasses the full scope of what it means to be completely broken, thoroughly human, astonishingly whole. Jesus' Last Supper, execution, burial, and Resurrection entirely shape what it means to be a baptized believer of Jesus the Christ.
The hours of Thursday through Sunday create a unique and sacred container for us to live into the entire story and consequences of Jesus the Christ's passion and re-birth. These days also provide time and space to dwell into the entirety of our own stories -- who we have been, who God desires us to be, and who we actually are.
The perplexing beauty of the Triduum's sorrows is that Jesus' suffering and death permits us to peer into our own suffering in ways that no other rituals permit. If you want to be truly vulnerable -- let someone else wash your feet. If you want to find healing for some deep and painful memory -- lay those broken and battered moments of your life at the foot of The Cross so that they can die and begin to be redeemed there. If you're uncertain of what the next week holds for you in terms of being safe - spend time on Saturday being bewildered as the disciples were when they cowered in the Upper Room following Jesus' death.
Then, experience Easter
Slowly, we as Jesus the Christ's contemporary disciples
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Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene
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can silently rise on Easter Sunday morning just as Mary Magdalene did -- expecting to tend to another day's rituals only to find that the Easter tomb is empty. The Lord is Risen indeed.
Christ's resurrection is the Door and the Gate by which we come into closer proximity with God as Nouwen says: "imperfections and all."
Think about this -- what if you were seeking for Jesus in the darkest and saddest moments of your life when ... all of a sudden Christ appeared to you by lovingly calling you by your own name. What occurs when you through faith and perhaps through some miraculous sight come to See the Lord.
Here's my invitation to (re)discover, (re)claim, (re)create the wholeness of your lives during these holiest of days. Be still and experience Jesus' presence there with you.
Blessings Along the Way.
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Holy Week and Easter Schedule
Maundy Thursday
5:30 PM - Agape Meal
7:00 Holy Eucharist w/ Foot Washing and Stripping of Altar rituals Good Friday12 Noon - Holy Eucharist 7:30 PM - Ecumenical Service at Westwood First Presbyterian Church Baptisms of Will and Chloe Lambert
Easter Sunday10 AM Holy Eucharist 11:30 - Easter Egg Hunt and Celebratory Coffee Hour Invite your friends and come to church all-spiffy and such! Julie Murray and Lisa Jacob will be taking free Easter digital photos for all persons and families wanting a holiday photo(s) to share with their loved ones.  |
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