Matthew 26:26-30 New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

²⁷ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

³⁰ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Maundy Thursday services have always been one of my favorite services.  To some that may seem a little weird, but I love the intimate worship style that normally is used for the service and I love worship in the evening.  I guess it is my Anglican side coming out in me.

This year we will experience the Communion service at home.  While we all commune at home all the time, I have never had Communion at home.  That will be a new experience.  There have been a lot of them lately and we will probably have a lot more to come.

Having Communion at home with my family will be different, it will also be wonderful and will be one of the most intimate Communions I will have had.  Remembering what Christ did for us and sharing that with those closest to you is a blessing, and certainly, will be a memory that will last a lifetime.

Having Communion in a new and different way makes us realize how important it is to us as Christians to celebrate this sacrament.  I remember one of the most unusual times that I had the bread and juice was up on a mountain peak at sunrise during Jr. High summer camp.  Tears were shed, songs were shared and the love and connection that we felt to God and to each other that morning was strong.

It is my hope that while we join in celebrating Communion at home and gather together online that we feel this connection to each other and God as well. Our folks who are not connected by the internet have received what I am calling a Holy Week Bag.  It has the bread and juice in a small sealed container as well as the liturgy used for worship.  There is also the Good Friday service included as well as an Easter poster.  This way they can connect with us through the Holy Spirit during this unusual Holy Week. Remember that Jesus said that whenever two or three are gathered in His name He will be there also.

May you all have a blessed Holy Week journey and remember that the worst thing does not have the last word.  Remember to connect with each other.

Grace & Peace, Suzanne

Gracious and loving God create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit with in us.  Help us to remember that you showed us how to love and serve each other and those in need. May we remember what the cost of this night cost you.  May we take the time during our Holy Week Journey to reflect on how you would have us live our lives as your disciples and have the courage to follow you.  May we feel your presence, peace and grace in our lives. Amen  

Psalm 63

Comfort and Assurance in God’s Presence

¹ O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,
    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
³ Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

⁵ My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
⁶ when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
⁷ for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
⁸ My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

Outside our front door we have a hanging basket. It has one sprig of a bright red geranium and a morning dove who sits patiently and oh so quietly on her one egg. Today, as it rained pretty hard, there she stayed, not moving, nestled down in the basket keeping her egg warm and waiting out the storm. She is practicing social seclusion, and I thought how easy and normal she makes it all seem.

Quite a few years ago, I took part in a 2 yr. program about spiritual formation. We met for one week every quarter at a monastic retreat center. The first week there I found out that after vespers or evening prayer, there would be silence, silence until morning prayer! I remember thinking this may be hard to do and may not go very well at all! But honestly after that first week I found myself longing to be back there, to be in the rhythm of a daily routine which included silence. 

In one of the classes we had, the teacher highlighted Psalm 63. She spoke about her longing for God when her life wasn’t going as planned and this Psalm gave her comfort. As I was thinking of this, I reread it and felt God speaking to me during this unusual time that we find ourselves in. It gave me a sense of comfort and peace. 

It’s been difficult for me not to be with my grandchildren, family and friends, and I’m sure for you as well. We all feel removed from our previous life as we knew it, we are having to social distance, social seclusion, not touch. My world has become ever more quiet, and through this I am brought back to a place of stillness, of rest and focused on my own longing for God’s presence in my life.

After our class we were asked to go someplace and sit in quiet stillness and write a Psalm or Haiku of our own longing. So I offer you this opportunity to write yours. I am sharing the one I wrote back in 2002, funny how I can relate it for such a time as this. Sit in a comfortable place, relax and breathe deeply and slowly as you become centered in silence. There is no judgement, allow this to be a time of healing and comfort, just let the words and feelings flow.

My haiku, my longing for God…

“Wandering the familiar parchedness of my soul longing to be where you are.

When will the healing rains come, when will the seeds begin to grow?

My desert longs for showers of restoration

I cry out for you, I sing of your holiness

Glory to God on high

Let the rains flow from the mountain peaks

Let the waters rush to the depths of my despair

You are there, you hold me in the silence of your love…you are there”

“Hope is the things with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the word, and never stops at all.” Emily Dickerson

And so, in due time mama bird’s baby will emerge from its shelter and mama’s quiet waiting will be over and a new way of life will begin. 

Blessings, 

Brenda

O God, in the shadow of your wings may we always be, where comfort and peace surrounds us, as we become more continually aware of your presence in all the moments of our lives. 

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

The other day I was scrolling through my feed on Facebook. Many of the posts were how people were trying to stay connected with each other, how they “scored” a prized item at the grocery store, and how they were juggling working from home and learning this whole new thing called distance learning. But one post stuck out to me. It was different from all the rest. This post was about the loss they have felt due to the coronavirus.

I have been so caught up in making sure that I am connecting with people and that needs are being met that I hadn’t really thought about the grief this pandemic has caused. The loss of lives is obvious, and I have thought and prayed for all who have experienced such grief.  But this post caused me to pause and to think about the other losses that people have experienced.

There have been school concerts that won’t happen, driving tests for your first driver’s license, proms, graduations, sister retreats and teachers who have had their classes abruptly ended.  Each person’s losses are as unique as the person experiencing the loss.  There are all kinds of grief and we are all experiencing some degree of it. All the mixtures of emotions that we are feeling are real and valid. 

While we are all experiencing losses, both big and small, it isimportant to remember that there will be healing. It just takes time. And in that time of healing, God is patient; and no matter how long it takes, God will be by your side through it all. God Beside, asong from Stephen Fischbacher of Fischy Music says it best:

God behind, God beside, God ahead

In the sunshine and the rain

In the laughter and the pain

With us in the morning

With us in the day

With us in the evening

Always, always, always

God was with us before the pandemic. God is with us as we navigate through the emotions and the losses of this pandemic. God will be with us through the healing. God is with us always, always, always.

Loving God, your presence brings comfort in this time when many are struggling with feelings of loss.  Surround us with your strength and help us be patient as we move through the process of grieving. Help us to keep our eyes open to others who are grieving so that we may comfort them.  We thank you for always being by our side. Amen

Marty

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. – John 9:1-5 (NRSV)

“This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives…” Dr. Jerome Adams,  U.S. Surgeon General.

These are indeed difficult, dark times. What started as a vague worry became an inconvenience and now we feel a rising sense of dread. By now many of us know at least one person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. We have seen the numbers rising exponentially.

And again the irony – or the opportunity. The week that the Surgeon General declares will likely be the worst is the very week that for Christians is the most holy. This is the week when we “plumb the depths.” Traditionally we hold a service called “Tenebrae” at which we tell the story of Jesus passion and death, extinguishing candles as we go, and end in darkness. This darkness symbolizes Jesus’ death.

Another tradition in this week is to kindle a new flame on Easter morning. The darkness of Jesus’ death is driven away by the bright shining dawn of a new day. And the light that was in the world through one person, Jesus, becomes light for the whole world reflected in the lives of those who believe.  

Jesus is the light of the world. In the gathering darkness his light shines through our work.

Even as we travel this lonesome highway, we have confidence. We are not alone. Christ is with us.

Lord Jesus, be our light. In this time of fear, give us hope. In this time of doubt, give us confidence. In this time of disease, bring us healing in body, mind, and spirit. Guide the minds and hands of all who care and who fight this pandemic. Even in the darkest night, we know the dawn awaits. Amen.

Pastor George