Dear Friends,
What a meaningful Holy Week and Glorious Easter we celebrated at Church of the Incarnation. There were many wonderful moments in this journey. One for me was on Wednesday night as a number of us gathered in the Mission House to watch The Passion of the Christ. The Mission House is used for a variety of purposes, meetings, meals, fellowship and worship. Being a liturgical worship space we have a Sacristy Light hanging over the Tabernacle where the Reserve Sacrament is kept. This light is a reminder of the presence of Christ.
During the movie, there are many difficult scenes to observe and take in. The scourging in particular is portrayed in a brutal manner and to be honest I do not know if I have seen the whole scene, as I turn my eyes away. Several times through out the film I noticed and even focused on the flickering candlelight behind the red globe. It gave a comforting glow to me as I was engaged by the images of Jesus' suffering and his redemptive work on the cross.
In suffering, difficulty, pain, sorrow and tragedy there is an abiding presence. The very presence of God embraces us and holds us, it bears us in our distress and sustains us in our grief. One of the things Jesus bore for us on the cross was isolation - because of the cross and the resurrection on Easter morning we will never be alone again. By faith we are fixed to Christ, reconciled to God, bound to him in love. The redemption found in Christ dispels the darkness by a powerful light that drives away every shadow.
Praise be to God who has redeemed us and promises...
...behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Living where blessings abound!
The Rev. Jon Davis+ / Vicar
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This Sunday, April 19 our normal classes will resume. with the following schedule: