Today was a lonely Maundy Thursday. It’s the day of the church year that remembers Jesus’ last meal with his friends, because even God needed to draw strength from friends during a time of pain and heartbreak and fear. It is especially difficult that during this time of pain, heartbreak, and fear, we are unable to physically share meals with our friends. I am immensely grateful that I was able to enjoy a virtual dinner party in “THE UPPER ZOOM” with Bill Kolasa, the Londons, Nancy Kuzniar, and Skip Lawver. After our evening prayer together this evening, I had another zoom session, this time with seminary friends. We recorded ourselves singing “Were You There” for Good Friday…except that, unfortunately, it turns out that there is *just* enough time lag that our voices became a surreally layered mess. Regardless, it was still a blessing to be able to spend time with them and I’m sorry you won’t get to hear their voices. 🙁
On Good Friday at 7pm, the video of the tenebrae service that I filmed with Pastor Jackie of Marble United Methodist should be premiering on our facebook page. Tenebrae is the Latin name for “a service of shadows.” As Jackie and I took turns reading parts of the passion story, we blew out candles to represent the light of Christ leaving the world. Speaking of old languages, “passion” in the archaic sense refers not to a strong feeling but to the suffering of a martyr, so when we refer to Christ’s passion, we’re talking about the crucifixion narrative. At 8pm, I will lead a short evening prayer on facebook live.
On Saturday, I will be streaming an Easter vigil service. The Easter vigil is a very very (VERY) old tradition that recounts the stories of faith that have led us to the hours before dawn when the stone will be found rolled away and the tomb will be found empty. It was the service during which new believers would be baptized in the early church. In the ancient reckoning of time, the new day begins at sunset, not sunrise, which is why the first Creation narrative in Genesis repeats the phrase “and there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” Our vigil will begin at 8:30, when it is fully dark, because technically, by the ancient reckoning of time, the day of Easter will have begun–the tomb will be empty, even if the women haven’t discovered it yet.
How are you planning to celebrate Easter this year? My weather app is predicting rain, so I don’t think I’ll be having an outdoor picnic with the neighborhood bunny. I am, however, looking forward to decorating some egg-shaped sugar cookies and trading Gingersnap’s purple collar for Lent for her Easter collar with spring flowers. My cat is very keen on the colors of the church year.
While you’re spending Easter indoors, perhaps you might liven up your window by coloring one of the coloring pages in this newsletter. I still have my hand-colored palm branch in my front window from last week, with tiny prayers written under the green ink. I brought my office white board home to put in the window, too, but I haven’t thought of anything particularly clever or encouraging to write on it yet. Any suggestions from Peoples? I’m all ears! It’s been neat to see handmade or handwritten reminders of community on solitary walks through town. If you put up Easter art or have any beautiful flowers coming up, please send pictures!
I hope that many of you will join me this Sunday as I live stream worship on Facebook at 10am. You can follow along with the prayers, readings, and hymns, which will be published on our website under the heading “Worship” in the main menu. Following our worship service on Sunday, you are invited to a virtual coffee hour! You can join in the conversation by clicking
https://zoom.us/j/146874134?pwd=K1krZkFrTnJMTHFoV2JwdTk1QWdXUT09. If you don’t have the set-up to join a video conference, you could also join by telephone by dialing (312) 626-6799 and entering the meeting code 146 874 134, followed by the password 075003.