The contemplative monk and spiritual director Thomas Sheehan once wrote, "When we have strained all the active adjectives in our vocabulary, and multiplied all the pertinent predicates we know, and exhausted our store of descriptive nouns, we come to the sublime conclusion that we Christians cannot explain Easter.  Rather, Easter explains Christians."

 

Easter explains Christians. 

When our joy is so full we could burst

for the unexpected, undeserved blessings in our life,

only a joy like Easter could capture it.

When we find ourselves bathed in love and compassion

from friends surrounding us in a hard and painful time,

only a hope like Easter could describe it.

When we discover to our disbelief and surprise that we are not alone

even when we've sunk to the pit of loneliness and despair

- that a hand of  mercy reaches out toward us even there -

only a  promise like Easter could predict it.

That is when we collide with

"the sublime conclusion that we Christians cannot explain Easter. 

Rather, Easter explains Christians."

 

And isn't that why we all want to be in church on Easter Sunday morning - to let our souls feast on the bright festival of spring flowers and floating balloons and party clothes, and join the glorious chorus of Handel's Alleluia?  Easter floods our hearts and captures our imaginations with the symbols of life conquering death, light overwhelming darkness, joy sweeping away sorrow, and hope dissolving despair.  It not only happened for Jesus and his friends, it can happen for us.  And it not only can happen for us, it has happened for us, again and again in our lives.  God's love lifts us, Christ's presence blesses us, and the Spirit's promise of new life and surprising possibilities never fails to strengthen and sustain us.

 

Come and celebrate the glorious mystery once again.  Help the church witness and proclaim the joyful power of spirited and spiritual Christian life- for ourselves, for our elders, our families, our youth and children, and for the generations yet to come.

 

But don't just come on Easter Sunday!  Come and celebrate the whole mystery of Easter with us - the full cycle of the death and resurrection of Christ.  We have special services of worship on

Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, re-telling the power and mystery of the Passion and Cross as well as the empty tomb.  See the other side of this letter for details of

the services -- but most of all, be part of them!

 

May the joy and hope of Easter fill your heart and your home!

 

 Tony

 

"Spiritual AND Religious"

My colleague, Rev. Martha Hoverson, is a pastor living in Portland, Maine.  She often writes op-ed pieces for the Portland Press Herald, and is an intentional interim minister.  She blogs at "Reflectionary: Where Life Meets the Lectionary" (http://revsongbird.typepad.com).   Below is an excerpt from her blog, which is a wonderful reflection on spiritual, religious, Congregational heritage, and testimony.  I think it speaks to us at Eliot in so many ways.  Enjoy!

 

"We're spiritual, but not religious." It's not only young people who say this to us, and when those of us who are religious hear it, we almost invariably react a little defensively. What's wrong with being religious? In church, I hope we can be both, connected by the history and tradition passed down to us but also in touch with the leading of the Holy Spirit that moves among us, guiding us to new ways of being faithful to God and to Jesus Christ.

 

There is no question in this second decade of the 21^st century that being church means something different than it did when I was a little girl growing up in Virginia or in the Maine of 50 or 100 years ago. We live in a world, for better or worse, where businesses open on Sunday, where people carry coffee everywhere and sleep with their iPhones nestled on their pillows, a world where weekly attendance at worship and Sunday School no longer goes without saying. When you meet a young couple and ask if they go to church, you'll likely hear the same thing I heard, "We're spiritual, but not..."

 

But aren't we spiritual? I want to think I am, in the sense that the word means to me. Like the people who define themselves that way, I've experienced the transcendent in nature, walking in the woods or watching the waves break or looking west to Mount Washington while the sun sets. But I have also experienced the transcendent, literally something beyond my rational understanding, in the gasp of a gorgeous toddler surprised by the handful of water I've just laid on his red curls as the water runs down his forehead. Our rituals, our sacraments, retain their power as signs of God's presence among us. The breaking of bread, repeated so many times, does not become dull or repetitive, but rather becomes amplified by experience. And whether we pass the little cups in their special trays or dip the bread into a chalice, we are both spiritual *and* religious when we experience the presence of Christ among us, a presence we cannot explain but can feel in our hearts and souls.

 

I think what we've lacked in many mainline churches is an inclination to talk about what our faith means to us, unless we're in a very safe space or a moment of crisis. We've allowed the world to think we are simply religious, engaging in practices that are simply old-fashioned, something your grandmother does, not necessary for today's world. When we close in on ourselves and insist on doing everything the way we've always done it before, when we hold to habits and traditions for their own sake, we write our own epitaph. When we're reserved about the deeper reality of our faith lives-our spiritual lives-we miss the chance to connect with others.

And that's what people are hungry for, what they are seeking on the Internet and in coffee shops, something they don't believe we even care about in the average church of Congregational heritage. Really, they don't even know what that heritage means. But we do. We know it means the freedom to figure out for ourselves who God is and how we understand the life of Jesus. It means agreeing to disagree when the person sitting down the pew from us sees Christ a little differently. It means leaving each other enough breathing room that the Spirit has some space to move among us.

 

In this second decade of this 21^st century, I believe we're being called to let our friends and neighbors know that church is not quaint or forgettable but real and meaningful, that the connections we make with one another and the world through worship and service make our lives richer and deeper. I believe we're being called to speak up and tell our stories, to share the ways God has touched our lives: in art and music, in nature and in relationships, and even in church. When we are ready to share it, the world will see we are spiritual *and* religious.   (March 17, 2010)

Karla

 

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7:30 pm Service of the Last Supper and Tenebrae

Led by the Confirmation Students, with the Pastors and our Seminary Intern, Emilia Halstead.

 

7:30 pm Meditation Service in the Chapoel

Led by Emilia Halstead

 

10:00 am Service of Celebration of the Resurrection

Rev. Karla Miller preaching

Featuring the Halleluiah Chorus from Handel's Messiah 

 

Sacred Conversations

Would you be interested in joining pastors Tony and Karla for a few weekly gatherings for prayer and conversation about what matters most in our lives?  We would like to invite a group to meet weekly for 4 to 6 weeks later in the spring at a time that is mutually convenient.  If you would like to join us, please let either of us know.  - Tony and Karla

 

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The meeting started with some housekeeping issues and the Rev. Kill opened with prayer.  The Moderator started the meeting with some welcoming comments and some recommendations on how the meeting should proceed.  Elizabeth Baker gave a 2008-2010 financial perspective.  Susan Jeghelian gave a framework for the discussion as it pertains to Option 5 as will be presented in a motion following Susan's framework.

 

The motion with some typographical amendments was offered as:

Moved that the Eliot Congregation accept this 5th option, as proposed and presented with 3 typographical amendments, by the Coordinating Council.  This fifth option comes as a result of the congregational dialogue forums conducted in response to the FRC motion at the fall 2009 Special Congregational Meeting.

 

 

This motion was seconded and opened for discussion.  There were many people who spoke about this motion and their perspective on what should have been offered as well as what they thought were shortcomings of this motion.  There were others who spoke in support of this motion as it moves us forward in a thoughtful way.  The minutes will reflect individual's contribution during question and answer stage.

 

 

Don Oppenheimer proposed a revised amendment not to deal with 2011, but to focus on and commit to having a balanced budget for 2012.  Jon Bassett proposed specific language -- Add in #1

 

This amendment offered is inserted in #1 (Level 2) and is denoted by the bold print:

 (Level2) Development of an expense reduction plan across programs, staff salaries and other operating expenses for the FY 2012 representing a balanced budget without drawing on the endowment beyond the usual distribution by the Finance Commission in partnership with the Commissions and Committees that minimize impact and enable the performance of functions as set forth in the bylaws. (Common Theme #6)

 

This amendment was seconded and open for discussion. 

 It was voted that we needed no further discussion.  It was voted that we approve the amendment, there were 37 in favor and, 11 opposed

The vote on the 5^th option with amendments:

Vote on the 5^th option and amendment, as proposed.  The option was passed with 35 in favor, 4 opposed.

The Moderator thanked all in attendance and noted that there were proxy votes that were attached to the minutes.  She shared some other really important good news:

In the motion, it asks the Moderator to appoint an implementation task force.  The Moderator has approached Susan Jeghelian and she is excited about the opportunity to lead the charge of taking this motion to the next step.  She and the Moderator will work together to round out this Implementation Task Force.  For this we are truly blessed.

This motion calls for every congregant to become involved.  We ask you to look over each of these numbered conditions and see if you find yourself among the passionate.

Susan was approached by many congregants, after the meeting, offering their support and willingness to assist in an effective way.

 

Lisa Hines, Moderator

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New Feature - Happy Anniversary!
We only have a few of your Anniversary dates in the church database,  If you would like to list your anniversary in upcoming issues, please email Terri Whitney-Jackson so she can add it!

 

Happy March Anniversary!

Leslie Creedy & Bill Powers    March 21

Connie Stubbs & Chris Dame  March 25

 

Elizabeth & Dan Flanagan       April 4

Siu Wai & Rich Stroshane      April 23

Soon it will be time to honor our graduates; both high school and college.  If your student will be graduating this spring, please email Terri WJ with your student's name, school of graduation and future plans.