This year I've been reading the "Children of the Last Days" series by Michael D. O'Brien, a Canadian Catholic visual artist and writer. I started reading the series in the wrong order, starting with Eclipse of the Sun, then going to the chronological beginning of the series to read Strangers and Sojourners, followed by Plague Journal. These three should be read in order, ending with Eclipse, if you're interested.
If one is desirous of reading only one of O'Brien's novels, make it Father Elijah which is related to the chronological trilogy but can stand alone as well. It's a page-turner -- I simply couldn't put it down for the balance of suspense and religious fervor. My friend Judith is reading it now.
It took me almost three weeks at well over 800 pages, but I did finish O'Brien's fifth novel in the series, Cry of Stone. Very different from the other books, it's a meditative novel about a native Canadian woman who is physically deformed and a great artist, but her most amazing quality is her faith, especially in how her faith and art intertwine. More like Strangers and Sojourners in being character-driven rather than plot-driven, it was a remarkable book, one I heartily recommend. O'Brien's style is impeccable, deeply-moving and poetic, sensitive to the plight and mindset of Native North Americans, and not to be missed.
Little thoughts from my mind to yours about living a contemplative life in a far too busy world.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Monday, April 9, 2007
Happy Birthday to You!
Tonight we celebrated E's 15th birthday with gluten-free brownies after a wonderful dinner cooked by Dad: chicken stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, and ricotta cheese with a white wine sauce, corn fritters, and a Caesar salad. While waiting for the late dinner (Dad cooked for three hours!!!), E and J enjoyed a bit of ballroom swing during "Dancing with the Stars" commercial breaks. It's fun to see E and J do something together; usually they are sniping at each other over something or other. They would never, ever admit it, but they're just too much alike to get on well.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
He Is Risen!
He Is Risen, Indeed!
The liturgical greeting for Eastertide is one that goes back centuries. But my favorite Resurrection Day hymn goes back only to the eighteenth century. Written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley the English church reformer, this hymn was sung today with great gusto and joy at Lake Murray as well as at churches around the world. These words and the soaring music truly expressed my Easter joy in a Risen Saviour!
1. Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!
2. Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!
3. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!
4. Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Happy Easter!
The liturgical greeting for Eastertide is one that goes back centuries. But my favorite Resurrection Day hymn goes back only to the eighteenth century. Written by Charles Wesley, brother of John Wesley the English church reformer, this hymn was sung today with great gusto and joy at Lake Murray as well as at churches around the world. These words and the soaring music truly expressed my Easter joy in a Risen Saviour!
1. Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!
2. Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!
3. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!
4. Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Happy Easter!
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Joining the 365 Bloggers
A bunch of women from my online community (The Lamp Post, see sidebar link) started 365 blog projects on January 1. Basically, they post a photo a day for a whole year and thereby have a record in photos of the year.
I, however, did not have a digital camera. Keith's is a professional-level Nikon D-70, and so for my birthday in March I asked for a small digital camera so I could join my 365 friends. Well, Keith thought that a certain Sony would work best for me, but it was last year's model and hard to find. He finally ordered it from an online place, but they let us know this week that it was "back ordered indefinitely." So much for the Sony.
So Keith came home lasy night with an Olympus Stylus 740, a very small camera with video function (great with kids), image stabilization (for my shaky hands) and 5 times zoom. Very nice! Above is a photo of my miniature bird bath in my front flower garden, where little alyssum are popping up and will conquer the entire bed by mid-July.
So now I've joined my 365 cohorts, and hope to learn a little more about the art of photography both through the process and from my dear husband. I'm more grateful than ever for his year at Brook's Institute of Photography!
So check out my photos at http://susanne365.blogspot.com/ or see the link on the sidebar.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Ecumenical Stations of the Cross
First thing this morning, I took our three boybarians to Lake Murray for the Stations of the Cross. Veneta had lit the candles and rehung the Stations that had slipped off the walls (don'tcha love masking tape?). It was lovely. I went through once with the boys, and then let them play outside while I went through them by myself, pausing before the Scriptures and the copies of Old Masters' paintings depicting each event and imagined myself there, walking through this time with Jesus.
Then at noon I took the boys to an outdoor ecumenical Stations of the Cross in Alpine. Over 100 people, Protestant and Catholic, followed six pastors down a series of fourteen crosses along the side of a church parking lot. At each of the Stations, one of the pastors read the designated Scripture passage, then the crowd would move to the next cross, singing these verses to "Were You There?" I've put the each of the verses here only once, but I'm sure you're aware that the verse is sung twice, then the chorus, then the verse once more.
It was such an amazing experience that I would like to type it out for you so you can do this, if you feel so lead, in the your own homes (or gardens) on this holy day.
Opening Prayer: Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross so that he might draw the whole world to himself. Grant that we, who glory in this death for our salvation, may also glory in his call to take up our cross and follow him, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Following the Way of the Cross.....
1. Jesus Prays Alone
Read: Luke 22:39-44
Sing: "Were you there when they couldn't watch one hour?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
2. Jesus Is Arrested
Read: Matthew 26:47-56
Sing: "Were you there when a kiss betrayed Our Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
3. Jesus' Trial Before the Sanhedrin
Read: Mark 14:61-64
Sing: "Where you there when they asked, 'Are you the Christ?'
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
4. Jesus' Trial Before Pilate
Read: John 18:33-37
Sing: "Were you there when Pilate called Him King?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
5. Pilate Sentences Jesus to Death
Read: Mark 15:6-15
Sing: "Were you there when the crowd cried, 'CRUCIFY!'?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
6. The Crown of Thorns
Read: John 19:5
Sing: "Were you there when He wore the Crown of Thorns?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
7. Jesus Carries His Cross
Read: John 10:17-18
Sing: "Were you there when He laid His own life down?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
8. Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
Read: Luke 23:26
Sing: "Were you there when Simon bore the cross?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
9. Jesus Speaks to the Women
Read: Luke 23:27-31
Sing: "Were you there when the women wailed and wept?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
10. Jesus Is Crucified
Read: Luke 23:33-34
Sing: "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
11. The Criminals Speak to Jesus
Read: Luke 23:39-43
Sing: "Were you there when He promised paradise?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
12. Jesus Speaks to Mary and John
Read: John 19:25b-27
Sing: "Were you there when Mary lost her Son?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
13. Jesus Dies upon the Cross
Read: John 19:28-34
Sing: "Were you there when the Lord said, 'It is done.'?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
14. Jesus Is laid in the Tomb
Read: John 19:38-42
Sing: "Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble."
Then we all left in silence, to contemplate and meditate upon Jesus' suffering and death for our sins and for our restoration with the Father.
Where is the Resurrection, you ask? Today, "Good Friday," is a day of sorrow as we remember His passion and death. Now, we watch and wait for His glorious Resurrection from the dead on the third day!
Holy Week Happenings
Last night Sheri and I attended Alpine Anglican's "Instructional Seder." Basically, we followed Jewish Passover traditions (including FOUR glasses of red wine!), and Father then gave us additional information that linked the Passover traditions to the institution of the Lord's Supper from the Gospels. Old and New Testaments, perfectly linked!
We ate the bitter herbs that symbolized the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt. We dipped parsley into salt water and ate it; the parsley represents new life, and the salt water the bitter tears shed by the Israelites in their enslavement. We ate matzoh, unleavened cracker-type bread, because the Egyptians fled Egypt so suddenly that they had no time to allow their bread to rise. We ate this sweet apple-nut mix that represented the mortar that the Israelites used in their slavery to the Egyptians. We read lots of prayers and Scripture (and drank lots of wine! -- no wonder St. Paul had to caution the Corinthian church to beware of drunkeness!).
The two most interesting aspects for Sheri and me were the ones that demonstrated the relationship between the Jewish practice and Christian Communion. When Christ broke the "bread" during the Last Supper Passover meal, he was breaking and sharing the "afilkomen," the special bread set aside as a symbol of the coming Messiah. So by breaking that certain piece of unleavened bread that is set aside earlier in the Passover service and sharing it with His disciples, Jesus was proclaiming Himself as the "Bread of Life," and therefore His Messiah-ship. The second interesting aspect was related with the wine, the cup that Christ shared with His disciples. The cup that He raised and declared as "the blood of the new covenant" was Elijah's cup, the cup set aside at the empty place left for Elijah who was to herald the coming of the Messiah to Israel. So when Christ took the cup of wine reserved for Elijah, again He was proclaiming Himself the Messiah. So by taking these elements that were set aside to demonstrate the waiting for the Messiah to arrive and calling them "My body" and "My blood," Christ was telling His disciples in still another way Who He truly is: "the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world."
Tonight I attended the Maundy Thursday service with the Alpine Anglican group at Victoria House, the rectory. ("Maundy" comes from the Latin word for "command," for on the night He was betrayed, Christ commanded His disciples to "love one another.") About eight of us gathered around the Ackers' dining room table, and besides the Scriptures we read (John 13 especially), the only difference between this service and any other Communion service was the Foot Washing. Father Acker asked each of us to remove one sock and shoe, and he knelt before each of us, with an apron tied around his waist, and washed our feet with a china pitcher and basin. After he dried each person's foot, he kissed it and then said, "Thank you for your service to Our Lord." It was an act of humility that brought me to tears (which come quite easily to me anyway), and his mini-sermon afterward about how we all serve the Lord through our lives had the same effect. It was a blessed service, my favorite of Holy Week, in fact. Not sure why -- it's just so personal between us and God, I think. To imagine being in that upper room and having the Messiah washing feet, the lowest job for the lowest servant in the home -- it just gives me chills to think of it!
A Passover Seder and a Maundy Thursday Foot Washing and Communion Service -- it's been a blessed Holy Week thus far!
We ate the bitter herbs that symbolized the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt. We dipped parsley into salt water and ate it; the parsley represents new life, and the salt water the bitter tears shed by the Israelites in their enslavement. We ate matzoh, unleavened cracker-type bread, because the Egyptians fled Egypt so suddenly that they had no time to allow their bread to rise. We ate this sweet apple-nut mix that represented the mortar that the Israelites used in their slavery to the Egyptians. We read lots of prayers and Scripture (and drank lots of wine! -- no wonder St. Paul had to caution the Corinthian church to beware of drunkeness!).
The two most interesting aspects for Sheri and me were the ones that demonstrated the relationship between the Jewish practice and Christian Communion. When Christ broke the "bread" during the Last Supper Passover meal, he was breaking and sharing the "afilkomen," the special bread set aside as a symbol of the coming Messiah. So by breaking that certain piece of unleavened bread that is set aside earlier in the Passover service and sharing it with His disciples, Jesus was proclaiming Himself as the "Bread of Life," and therefore His Messiah-ship. The second interesting aspect was related with the wine, the cup that Christ shared with His disciples. The cup that He raised and declared as "the blood of the new covenant" was Elijah's cup, the cup set aside at the empty place left for Elijah who was to herald the coming of the Messiah to Israel. So when Christ took the cup of wine reserved for Elijah, again He was proclaiming Himself the Messiah. So by taking these elements that were set aside to demonstrate the waiting for the Messiah to arrive and calling them "My body" and "My blood," Christ was telling His disciples in still another way Who He truly is: "the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world."
Tonight I attended the Maundy Thursday service with the Alpine Anglican group at Victoria House, the rectory. ("Maundy" comes from the Latin word for "command," for on the night He was betrayed, Christ commanded His disciples to "love one another.") About eight of us gathered around the Ackers' dining room table, and besides the Scriptures we read (John 13 especially), the only difference between this service and any other Communion service was the Foot Washing. Father Acker asked each of us to remove one sock and shoe, and he knelt before each of us, with an apron tied around his waist, and washed our feet with a china pitcher and basin. After he dried each person's foot, he kissed it and then said, "Thank you for your service to Our Lord." It was an act of humility that brought me to tears (which come quite easily to me anyway), and his mini-sermon afterward about how we all serve the Lord through our lives had the same effect. It was a blessed service, my favorite of Holy Week, in fact. Not sure why -- it's just so personal between us and God, I think. To imagine being in that upper room and having the Messiah washing feet, the lowest job for the lowest servant in the home -- it just gives me chills to think of it!
A Passover Seder and a Maundy Thursday Foot Washing and Communion Service -- it's been a blessed Holy Week thus far!
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
A Downloading Frenzy....
I've always listened to music from the late 50s to early 60s -- it's the music I grew up listening to. The music my parents still dance to when they can find a good band. The music I know the lyrics to, almost as well as the early-to-mid 80s music I was "into" in high school and early college and definitely better than what's come out since then, with the notable exception of my beloved U2.
San Diego used to have great "oldies" radio stations that would play the greats, but lately the station that used to play "oldies" from the 50s, 60s, and 70s has now stooped to the insulting play of "oldies" from the 80s! Yup, 80s music is everywhere (not that I'm complaining), but having the music of my youth being relegated to "oldies" when I'm only 41 is a bit hard to take.
But more than that, I miss the TRUE classics. So last night, i-Tunes gift card from my brother gripped in hand, I went on a downloading frenzy of the REAL "oldies but goodies." This is what I have bought and downloaded to my i-Pod:
The Platters:
"Goodnight Sweetheart"
"My Prayer"
"Only You"
Deon and the Belmonts:
"Runaround Sue" (my mom's favorite dance song)
"The Wanderer"
"Teenager in Love"
The Beach Boys:
"I Get Around"
"Fun, Fun, Fun"
Bobby Darin:
"Splish Splash"
Jan and Dean:
"Surf City"
Ricky Nelson:
"Garden Party"
"Travelin' Man"
Little Anthony and the Imperials:
"Tears on My Pillow"
The Drifters:
"Save the Last Dance for Me"
"Under the Boardwalk"
Now THOSE are classics. I think they'll be happy to join my old favorite Roy Orbison (a double CD set, thank you very much!) on my i-Pod. Now to borrow and download Mom's Elvis collection....
San Diego used to have great "oldies" radio stations that would play the greats, but lately the station that used to play "oldies" from the 50s, 60s, and 70s has now stooped to the insulting play of "oldies" from the 80s! Yup, 80s music is everywhere (not that I'm complaining), but having the music of my youth being relegated to "oldies" when I'm only 41 is a bit hard to take.
But more than that, I miss the TRUE classics. So last night, i-Tunes gift card from my brother gripped in hand, I went on a downloading frenzy of the REAL "oldies but goodies." This is what I have bought and downloaded to my i-Pod:
The Platters:
"Goodnight Sweetheart"
"My Prayer"
"Only You"
Deon and the Belmonts:
"Runaround Sue" (my mom's favorite dance song)
"The Wanderer"
"Teenager in Love"
The Beach Boys:
"I Get Around"
"Fun, Fun, Fun"
Bobby Darin:
"Splish Splash"
Jan and Dean:
"Surf City"
Ricky Nelson:
"Garden Party"
"Travelin' Man"
Little Anthony and the Imperials:
"Tears on My Pillow"
The Drifters:
"Save the Last Dance for Me"
"Under the Boardwalk"
Now THOSE are classics. I think they'll be happy to join my old favorite Roy Orbison (a double CD set, thank you very much!) on my i-Pod. Now to borrow and download Mom's Elvis collection....
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
A New BHAG
Well, it's really a new incarnation of an old BHAG. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term BHAG, it stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal. It's a term often in use among a group of women I've known online for eight years.
Anyway, today I was goofing around on the computer, procrastinating beautifully and thus ignoring the dust cloth and the basket of bathroom cleaning solutions at my feet. The AOL mail page had a lovely red tab labeled "Online Degrees." Well, that's certainly something worth checking out. I followed the labyrinth of links to various universities and degrees, finding nothing to my liking whatsoever.
Then the idea popped into my head: why not check out the seminary where Johanna and my own pastor have attended? I'll bet THEY have some interesting courses available. And did I ever find one that spoke to my heart and soul! The course title is "Christian Classics," (right up my alley, to say the VERY least!) and the main textbook is the very book I'm reading a second time for Lent: Richard Foster's Devotional Classics. Now, the other two texts look extremely interesting as well: Christian History, Issue 37: "Worship in the Early Church" and 100 Christian Books That Changed the Century. I was salivating onto my beleagured laptop.
Wiping away the drool, I quickly printed a copy of the syllabus. Then I saw the date: begins April 30. Oh well, I'm arriving home from North Carolina that night, and it is a very intensive class, so it's probably beyond my strength just now. I still e-mailed Johanna immediately, and she assured me that the course was the first one she took at Bethel and it was tops. Sigh -- I wish I could enroll right this very minute, but it just doesn't seem possible at the present time.
So I'm adding taking this course to my list of BHAGs which currently include: creating an English country garden; learning to play the piano; living in Great Britain for an entire calendar year; learning to spin and weave; taking a literary tour through Boston, Concord, and Prince Edward Island; learning to sing well enough to blend into a choir; spending two weeks at a monastery in complete silence; learning Latin, and relearning German.
BHAGs keep me going when the going gets tough. When I am up to my eyeballs in home school math assignments and science experiments, when I am overwhelmed by a dirty house and impossible yard, when the kids are quarreling and being distinctly unkind to one another, and when I have no time to myself whatsoever, THEN I think of my BHAGs and think: SOME DAY. And I smile my secret smile to myself and go on to the next thing in my busy, crazy life.
Anyway, today I was goofing around on the computer, procrastinating beautifully and thus ignoring the dust cloth and the basket of bathroom cleaning solutions at my feet. The AOL mail page had a lovely red tab labeled "Online Degrees." Well, that's certainly something worth checking out. I followed the labyrinth of links to various universities and degrees, finding nothing to my liking whatsoever.
Then the idea popped into my head: why not check out the seminary where Johanna and my own pastor have attended? I'll bet THEY have some interesting courses available. And did I ever find one that spoke to my heart and soul! The course title is "Christian Classics," (right up my alley, to say the VERY least!) and the main textbook is the very book I'm reading a second time for Lent: Richard Foster's Devotional Classics. Now, the other two texts look extremely interesting as well: Christian History, Issue 37: "Worship in the Early Church" and 100 Christian Books That Changed the Century. I was salivating onto my beleagured laptop.
Wiping away the drool, I quickly printed a copy of the syllabus. Then I saw the date: begins April 30. Oh well, I'm arriving home from North Carolina that night, and it is a very intensive class, so it's probably beyond my strength just now. I still e-mailed Johanna immediately, and she assured me that the course was the first one she took at Bethel and it was tops. Sigh -- I wish I could enroll right this very minute, but it just doesn't seem possible at the present time.
So I'm adding taking this course to my list of BHAGs which currently include: creating an English country garden; learning to play the piano; living in Great Britain for an entire calendar year; learning to spin and weave; taking a literary tour through Boston, Concord, and Prince Edward Island; learning to sing well enough to blend into a choir; spending two weeks at a monastery in complete silence; learning Latin, and relearning German.
BHAGs keep me going when the going gets tough. When I am up to my eyeballs in home school math assignments and science experiments, when I am overwhelmed by a dirty house and impossible yard, when the kids are quarreling and being distinctly unkind to one another, and when I have no time to myself whatsoever, THEN I think of my BHAGs and think: SOME DAY. And I smile my secret smile to myself and go on to the next thing in my busy, crazy life.
Monday, April 2, 2007
A Simon and Garfunkel Moment....
My dear friend Kim signed to Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Waters" yesterday in our worship service at Lake Murray, and I found myself in tears. Sobbing, actually. Her signed songs usually make me cry as they touch my heart so deeply, but this time, even though she signed it about four years ago and I was ready with Kleenex in hand, I found myself sobbing. Yes, sobbing in church with Kitty's arm around my shoulders. Why was I crying over an old Simon and Garfunkel tune? Because the Holy Spirit was speaking to me, using the song as a promise, a benediction, an anointing.
On Thursday I received good news from Dr. Adema: the cortisol is probably the "missing link" in my treatment, and we may be able to start to lower my pain medications in a couple of months! When I asked him what he envisioned for me two years down the road, he said, "No more fentanyl. Keep on with the cortisol and thyroid meds. And you should be much improved." After more than five years of weariness and chronic pain, after five years of various diagnoses of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, and various lesser issues, what great news! What a blessing!
And the song that Kim signed spoke the same thing: the weariness, the pain, the darkness -- all being pushed aside to allow healing and newness. My "time to shine" has come and my "dreams are on their way"! A benediction indeed. And a definite easing of my mind.
Here are the lyrics:
When you're weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I'm on your side when times get rough
And friends just can't be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
When you're down and out,
When you're on the street,
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you.
I'll take your part.
When darkness comes
And pain is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Sail on silvergirl,
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
On Thursday I received good news from Dr. Adema: the cortisol is probably the "missing link" in my treatment, and we may be able to start to lower my pain medications in a couple of months! When I asked him what he envisioned for me two years down the road, he said, "No more fentanyl. Keep on with the cortisol and thyroid meds. And you should be much improved." After more than five years of weariness and chronic pain, after five years of various diagnoses of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, and various lesser issues, what great news! What a blessing!
And the song that Kim signed spoke the same thing: the weariness, the pain, the darkness -- all being pushed aside to allow healing and newness. My "time to shine" has come and my "dreams are on their way"! A benediction indeed. And a definite easing of my mind.
Here are the lyrics:
When you're weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I'm on your side when times get rough
And friends just can't be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
When you're down and out,
When you're on the street,
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you.
I'll take your part.
When darkness comes
And pain is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Sail on silvergirl,
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Palm Sunday
Aaaah, Holy Week is here with Palm Sunday. I was thrilled to arrive at Lake Murray this morning and see palm fronds laid out at the base of the stairs that go upstairs to the sanctuary. In the foyer, smaller fronds were on the information area and a small frond was under a bird's nest filled with speckled Easter eggs. Inside the sanctuary were smaller fronds along the back wall and huge ones standing upright on the stage. For years and years at this church we had no mention of Palm Sunday, no palms, nothing at all different to mark the day. I would have preferred the Scripture verses about Jesus coming into Jerusalem, but the kids got it all heavily in their Sunday School classes, with T bringing home some real fronds and B making a paper one.
The Anglican Church on Palm Sunday reads Matthew 27 together, everyone taking parts such as Pilate, Pilate's wife, Christ, narrator, and everyone else is the crowd crying out "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Powerful stuff -- I wish I could have been there. I'm sure it's hard to cry out to crucify our Lord, but then it's our own sin that sent Him to the Cross in the first place. In the pictures from Alpine Anglican, the crucifix is covered in purple cloth, with palms tied behind in an X. The congregation made palm crosses together after the service so they can display and save the palms to burn for next year's Ash Wednesday service: today's palms become next year's ashes. Pretty cool thing, I think.
As Holy Week begins, I desire to fast from sweets (I've been doing a terrible job this Lent so hope to do better this last and most important week) and on Good Friday I want to do an oatmeal/rice fast. As I have hypoglycemia, I can't fast completely, but will take only the simplest of substance to keep my blood sugar level. I will also read only Christian books this week, focusing especially on Devotional Classics by Richard Foster. I had planned to read it over Lent but got behind, so I'm hoping to catch up this week. I'm going to continue reading the novel I've been working on for a couple of weeks, Michael D. O'Brien's Cry of Stone, which is about faith, sacrifice, and art. O'Brien is a Catholic writer and visual artist from Canada, and this work is very unlike previous works I've read by him, like Father Elijah. It's more than proper and helpful literature for Holy Week.
I also hope to attend services with Alpine Anglican this week. Wednesday is a Passover Seder, Maundy Thursday a footwashing, Good Friday an ecumenical Stations and an evening service, and Holy Saturday an evening vigil. I'm looking forward GREATLY to Holy Week, as I always do. May the Lord use it to change and soften my heart toward Him and make me ever more grateful for Christ's sacrifice once for all, and especially for me.
The Anglican Church on Palm Sunday reads Matthew 27 together, everyone taking parts such as Pilate, Pilate's wife, Christ, narrator, and everyone else is the crowd crying out "Crucify him! Crucify him!" Powerful stuff -- I wish I could have been there. I'm sure it's hard to cry out to crucify our Lord, but then it's our own sin that sent Him to the Cross in the first place. In the pictures from Alpine Anglican, the crucifix is covered in purple cloth, with palms tied behind in an X. The congregation made palm crosses together after the service so they can display and save the palms to burn for next year's Ash Wednesday service: today's palms become next year's ashes. Pretty cool thing, I think.
As Holy Week begins, I desire to fast from sweets (I've been doing a terrible job this Lent so hope to do better this last and most important week) and on Good Friday I want to do an oatmeal/rice fast. As I have hypoglycemia, I can't fast completely, but will take only the simplest of substance to keep my blood sugar level. I will also read only Christian books this week, focusing especially on Devotional Classics by Richard Foster. I had planned to read it over Lent but got behind, so I'm hoping to catch up this week. I'm going to continue reading the novel I've been working on for a couple of weeks, Michael D. O'Brien's Cry of Stone, which is about faith, sacrifice, and art. O'Brien is a Catholic writer and visual artist from Canada, and this work is very unlike previous works I've read by him, like Father Elijah. It's more than proper and helpful literature for Holy Week.
I also hope to attend services with Alpine Anglican this week. Wednesday is a Passover Seder, Maundy Thursday a footwashing, Good Friday an ecumenical Stations and an evening service, and Holy Saturday an evening vigil. I'm looking forward GREATLY to Holy Week, as I always do. May the Lord use it to change and soften my heart toward Him and make me ever more grateful for Christ's sacrifice once for all, and especially for me.
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