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From the Vicar...
Our incomprehensible and irrational God
Some people say religion doesn't make any sense to them, and as a result, they find themselves unable to believe in God.
You might be surprised at my saying this, but to an extent I think they're right. Religion doesn't make much sense. Neither does God. From the beginning of the Bible, God appears incomprehensible and irrational. How can God ask Abraham to show his obedience by killing his only son? How can God free the chosen people - and then stick them in an inhospitable wilderness for forty years? Why did God make life so hard for the good and so easy for the wicked? Why is organized religion so corrupt and hypocritical?
Year after year, in Holy Week, we come face to face with paradoxes that just scream of the incomprehensibility, the irrationality, of our God. On the one hand, Jesus is welcomed to Jerusalem with cheers and waving palms. On the other, Jesus is tried before Pilate and jeered by an angry mob - quite likely made up of many of the very same people. All this in such a short time, and somehow we're supposed to believe it's all in God's plan.
The paradox of this week has to do not simply with what happened in the final week of Christ's life on earth 2,000 years ago; it has to do with us, here in our own times, in our own hearts. We are a community of both devotion and betrayal; of the capacity to love and the inclination to hate. The story of Holy Week is the story of what we can be and of what we are. It is not simply a record of how Jesus was once treated, but also a drama of how we treat Christ our Savior - right now.
In the days to come, as we come face to face with paradoxes that scream of the irrationality, the incomprehensibility, of our God, we will each and every one of us be confronted with the question Jesus asked his followers: "Who do you say that I am?"
I cannot answer for you, of course. But as for me, I say Jesus is irrational, incomprehensible - and loves, forgives and accepts me even though it is entirely unreasonable for him to do so. And I, in my unreasonableness (made, as I am, as you are, in the image of God), can cast aside my questions, my doubts, and embrace him: "Yes, despite it all, you are my Lord, my Savior, my Messiah." It doesn't always make sense - but then, neither does God...and that's okay by me.
Fr. Chip
Our Lenten Program...
Thursday, March 21 at Christ Church: "Eliminating the Obstacles"
7:00 p.m. - Preceded by Soup and Bread Supper at 6:00 and Worship at 6:40
This coming week, our Lenten series, "Finding Our Purpose: Toward a More Deeply Shared Ministry," continues. The ultimate goal of our conversations is to develop the framework of a covenant between our two churches. While the sessions of this program do build on one another, each is self-contained so that no one need feel "left out" if they cannot commit to the full series.
Our Lenten Program Concludes with a Joint Conversation...
Toward a New Shared Ministry Covenant
When: Saturday, March 23, 9:00-11:30 a.m.
Where: St. George's Episcopal Church, York Harbor, Maine
This coming week, our Lenten series, "Finding Our Purpose: Toward a More Deeply Shared Ministry," draws to a close with a joint session drawing together the Bishop's Committees and members of both of our congregations. All members of both churches are invited and encouraged to come. We will share the results of the conversations held thus far in our Bishop's Committee retreat and on Wednesday and Thursday evenings - and begin outlining a path forward based on our understandings, dreams, and hopes.
This final session will be held at St. George's, York Harbor, Maine - the same location where our Bishop's Committees first met to start this joint conversation. Our hope is that by meeting on "neutral ground" we can set aside any distractions that might keep us from coming to a deeper level of reflection and understanding. This is truly "Holy Work," as we listen not only to one another, but to the Spirit.
Directions to St. George's
From I-95, take Exit 7 (last exit before tollbooths). Turn south on Route 1 for ¼ mile. Turn left at light onto Route 1A (York Street). St. George's is about 2 miles in on the right at 407 York St., a gray-shingle building. The parking entrance is just before the church.
Holy Week and Easter Service Schedule
Passion (Palm) Sunday - March 24
8:45 am Liturgy of the Palms and Holy Eucharist - Trinity Church
10:30 am Liturgy of the Palms and Holy Eucharist - Christ Church
Maundy Thursday - March 28
7:00 pm Choral Eucharist with foot-washing and Stripping the Altar - Christ Church
Good Friday - March 29
12:00 noon Ecumenical Service - South Church, Portsmouth
2:00 pm Stations of the Cross - Christ Church
7:00 pm Good Friday Liturgy - Trinity Church
Easter Even - March 30
7:30 pm The Great Vigil and first Eucharist of Easter - Christ Church
Easter Day - March 31
6:15 am Ecumenical Sunrise Service - North Beach, Hampton
8:45 am Festival Holy Eucharist - Trinity Church
10:30 am Festival Choral Eucharist - Christ Church
Holy Week notes Ecumenical Good Friday Service - During the first of the three hours of Our Lord's suffering on the Cross, South Church, 292 State St., Portsmouth, will host an ecumenical service of readings and meditations. Our Vicar is one of the clergy participants; lay participants are invited as well. Stations of the Cross -During the final hour of Our Lord's suffering, we will gather at Christ Church to walk the Stations of the Cross. The service begins at 2:00, and at its conclusion, those who are able are invited to remain in silent vigil until 3:00.
The Good Friday Liturgy -Please join us at Trinity Church for our joint evening service, at 7:00 p.m. This moving liturgy recounts John's version of the Passion and includes the praying of the Solemn Collects of Good Friday and the Veneration of the Cross.
THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER...
Ringing in the Resurrection!
On Saturday evening, March 30, you are invited to bring a bell, small or large, to the 7:30 p.m. Easter Vigil service at Christ Church. We will gather in the darkness, light the New Fire of Easter, process the Paschal (Easter) Candle to the strains of the glorious chant, Exsultet, hear the marvelous stories of God's work in salvation history and then ring those bells at each mention of the word, "Alleluia!" as we celebrate the First Eucharist of Easter. This is a joint celebration, long a part of Christ Church's liturgical heritage - and one I hope many at Trinity will want to embrace as well. (I guarantee you, if you've never been to an Easter Vigil, you will come away a "convert"! It truly is the most beautiful service of the year.)
This is a joint celebration, long a part of Christ Church's liturgical heritage - and one I hope many at Trinity will want to embrace as well. (I guarantee you, if you've never been to an Easter Vigil, you will come away a "convert"! It truly is the most beautiful service of the year.)
Fr. Chip
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