Day 90: 3/31/13- Easter! New Thing- Easter and D. singing in the choir for Easter service. Inspiration: Easter Time: All day Bottom
Line:Alleluia, Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia!
Reflection: Today is Easter!! Alleluia! I have to say, after such an intense Lent, I felt particularly enraptured during the service this morning. It was sheer beauty and love--the people, the music, the service, and the joy of Jesus' triumph over death made my heart swell. even sang in the primary choir (video below). Dad and Andi came to have lunch (and talk bees ;) and then I followed it all up with an Easter coma nap. Bliss and Salvation all in one day.
Day 89: 3/30/13- Holy Saturday & Vigil Perfection New Thing- Bee Keeping and Soda Cake Inspiration: Holy Saturday, Easter Egg Hunt,Bees, Easter Vigil Time: All day Bottom
Line:"And Christ said to Adam, 'I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your
descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth,
and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise." -An excerpt from an ancient Holy Saturday Sermon
Easter Egg Teaching with Matt
Reflection: Today may be a candidate for one of the all time perfect days of any Holy Week--ever. It is Holy Saturday, the day that we contemplate the holy mystery that is the moment between Christ's death and resurrection. Holy Saturday
is a quiet day of reflection and preparation. Even our services are
very short to remind us that we stand in a very liminal space: between
the cross and the empty tomb--death and everlasting life. For me, this year's Holy Saturday was a perfect blend of beauty, waiting, prayer, preparation, fellowship and fun. Here is the run down:
The day started with a very moving Holy Saturday Morning Prayer service where we read the classic ancient homily about the Harrowing of hell (found here-it is a must read!), sat in silence, chanted and prayed.
Christ pulling Adam and Eve out of their tombs.
From there, Matt and I kicked off the Easter Egg hunt by telling the story of Jesus' Passion by using a series of eggs holding symbols representing different parts of the saga. The kids were then unleashed onto the the grounds to hunt the 100's of candy filled eggs. It was delightful pandemonium.
She came home with SO much candy.
After that, D. and I took a six mile run in Valley Forge with me pushing her in her stroller. The weather was spectacular and we were just drinking up the sunlight.
Following a shower, I headed over to the fairgrounds for a very exciting new thing: beekeeping! St. David's has several excellent beekeepers (Cindy and Jeff) who are taking me under their wings to teach me this art. Dad and I used to keep bees when I was little and I have always wanted to take it up myself. Thanks to Cindy, Jeff, and fellow bee keeper Amy, I am giving it a go this year! The bees came today so we introduced the swarms to the hives. We all had a fun time and thanks to the spectacular weather, it was (as my father says ad nauseam) "a great day for beekeeping."
Opening the bee crate.
St. David's astronauts: Amy, Hillary, Cindy & Jeff
Introducing the bees to the hive. This is my hive and D. named my Queen "Rose" for good luck.
I came home in a spectacular mood from the sun, fun and wonder of the whole experience and tried another new thing: making a Dr. Pepper cake for Frank who loves that kind of soda. You make a cake as normal, but use a can of soda to make it very moist. I also tried a new way to ice a cake by drizzling the icing over the cake before it hardened. Finally, I wanted to stencil a skull on the cake in powdered sugar. I was trying to pick up on that part of Orthodox iconography that has a skull and cross bones standing at the foot of the cross to show Jesus triumphing over death. It did NOT work, so I put a flower on instead ;).
Ken, D. and I had a lovely dinner and decided it was so nice outside that we would go on the back porch to open our baskets early. We all made out very well!
Then it was off to my favorite service of the whole year--the Easter Vigil! At this service we light the new fire and the Pascal Candle as we welcome the day of Resurrection! It was a beautiful evening of worshiping the victory of Christ over death.
AND to top it all over, my clergy brethren and I broke our fast in style with cake and ice cream following the service.
How great a day was that?! The very definition of a good life from God fulled with moments of joy, the hope of the Resurrection, and simple pleasures.
Day 88: 3/29/13- Good Friday New Thing- Good Friday Observances & Haiku Inspiration: Good Friday Time: All day Bottom
Line:"Where the whole realm of nature mine, that still an offering far to small."
Reflection: Today is Good Friday, the most somber and solemn day of the year. It is the day that we contemplate the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross where he died for our sins. A day set aside for(what can only be described as)holygrief. This morning, I joined with several parishioners who were ending their night long vigiland Frank in the Old Church for Morning Prayer and to consume the reserve sacrament. Later, the entire family went to the noon service and then I went to the 7pm. The whole day was both beautiful and sorrowful as it always is.
As this is the day when we contemplate the way all of creation and the whole realm of nature was reconciled back to God through the cross, I decided to write a haiku for the day since that mode of poetry often deals with nature. Jesus took natural form and died as all creature do, so it seemed fiting to use this style.
Good Friday Haiku
Curtain torn in two.
Oh My God, what have we done?!
Salvation's blood pours.
The Collect for Good Friday:
Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold
this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be
betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon
the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Day 87: 3/28/13- Maundy Thursday and Something on A Stick Day New Thing- Make Cake Pops Inspiration: Something on a Stick Day, Maundy Thursday Time: A longer time then it should have Bottom
Line: A tasty way to start the Triduum?
These things look gross and nothing like pops on the box.
Reflection:Today is Maundy Thursday and I just got back from a stunning service at St. David's. It was so moving. Here is a video of us outside the church to bring in the Reserve Sacrament for the all night vigil.
But before that I cerebrated "Something on a Stick Day" (yepp- it's a real thing) by making cake pops for the first time. They took forever to make and were supposed to look like Easter chick, but I ran out of time and couldn't decorate them and the frosting was all weird by the time I got home. So, know they are these weird looking things that Ken tells me are delicious. I am going to have to take his word on that.
Day 86: 3/27/13- Spy Wednesday New Thing- Garden of Repose Meditation and Playing with Dry Ice Inspiration: Judas, The Garden of Gethsemane, The Women of St. David's, Frank Time:Different times all day Bottom
Line:Mysterious Prayers
Judas accepting the 30 pieces of silver
Reflection: This day in Holy Week has traditionally been known as "Spy Wednesday" as a reference to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot indicating that it is the day that Judas first conspired with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus for thirty silver coins. So, to combat betrayal, I spent some time praying in the Garden of Gethsemane that Lura, Mary Ann and several other members of the Women's Ministry created. The whole church was decorated with images and flowers thathavemetaphorical meaning following the Passion of Christ (for example, the red rose symbolizing the love of God). It was very peaceful.
Later on D. and I had a blast making mysterious smoke pour out of the sink thanks to some dry ice that came in a package for Easter with some ice cream from Frank. It was awesome and D. and I had a blast making the place look mysterious.
Day 85: 3/26/13- Reconciliation Service New Thing- Final Service for the Reconciliation Class Inspiration: DMin, St. David's Time: Several Hours Bottom
Line:Awesome!!
Reflection: Tonight, we had the final session of the Reconciliation class that has been running all Lent in conjunction with my DMin. This service was a "liquid worship" style of liturgy with participants "flowing" from one station to another. Each station was designed to match a different topic and mode of reconciliation that we discussed each week. Here are some of the stations:
Journal- Writing our prayers on a lovely woven paper journal.
Stone Photo Holder- Taking a stone which had previously symbolizing our sin and wrapping a copper wire around it to hold a symbol of resurrection.
Baptismal Font- Filled with doves for people to take lit from the bottom.
Heart Art Therepy- A heart that opens to let people collage all that is on their heart that needs to be turned over to God.
Healing movment- Bodily prayers to help easy the physical pain of sin by letting it go.
Wailing Cross- A large cross covered with plants where people could leave prayers like the Wailing Wall.
Confessional Booth- The Sacrament of Reconciliation was offered.
Chamber choir- to sing and chant over the whole service.
The whole service was so very moving and I cannot thank those who helped enough--The choir, Paula, Weasie, Tom, Endre, and the whole LAC! Thank you all so much for the support, hard work, and the prayers. I could never had done this without you and the Holy Spirit who showed up in full force tonight!
Day 84: 3/25/13- Feast of the Annunciation Garden Plan New Thing- Feast of the Annunciation Garden Planing Inspiration: The Feast of the Annunciation, Gardening Time: About an Hour Bottom
Line:Hail Mary!
Reflection: Today is the Feast of the Annunciation. According to Wikipedia's definition:
The Annunciation, also referred to
as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the
Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the archangel
Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus
Christ the Son of God. Despite being a virgin, Mary would miraculously
conceive a child who would be called the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary
to name her son Jesus, meaning "YHWH delivers". Most of Christianity
observes this event with the Feast of the Annunciation on 25 March, nine
full months before Christmas.
Devotees of 365 will remember that last time around, I planted seeds and said prayers over each one as a mediation to match the seed that God planted in Mary (you can find thatpost here). But, it snowed today! So there was not seed planting this time around. Instead, I plotted out my garden plan for this season and chanted the Magnificatwhen I was done.
A prayer for the Feast of the Annunciation
Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Day 83: 3/24/13- Palm Sunday Lenten Bach Concert at St. David's New Thing- Attend the Lenten Bach Concert at St. David's Inspiration: The Choir of St. David's Time: About an Hour Bottom
Line:Jesu, meine Freude, meines Herzens Weide! (Jesus, my joy/ my heart's pasture)
Live from St. David's in Wayne
Reflection: Today the choir of St. David's andseveral musicians, including our own Dr. Clair Rozier, preformed a fewBach pieces in a Lenten concert. It was beautiful! My favorite was the classic Jesu, meine Freude(BWV 227) which takes the coral and weaves verses of the Epistle to the Romans within the music. Since Romans is the book we are studying in Women's Bible study this year, I was particularly entranced. A perfect start to Holy Week.
Day 82: 3/23/13- Seven Heavenly Virtues Week- Chastity New Thing- Raw and Vegan Workshop and Cooking Class Inspiration: The Seven Heavenly Virtues, Mainline School Night, Fasting Time: Three Hours Bottom
Line:You are what you eat.
The one we made in class tasted even better that this picture looks.
Reflection: Today wraps up the week-long look at the Seven Heavenly Virtues. The topic for today's contemplation is chastity, the opposite of lust. Here is the wiki definition:
Abstaining from sexual conduct according to one's state in life.
Cleanliness through cultivated good health and hygiene, and maintained
by refraining from intoxicants. To be honest with oneself, one's family,
one's friends, and to all of humanity. Embracing of moral wholesomeness
and achieving purity of thought-through education and betterment. The ability to refrain from being distracted and influenced by hostility, temptation or corruption.
I was particularly intrigued by the "cleanliness through cultivated good health and hygiene, and maintained
by refraining from intoxicants... Embracing of moral wholesomeness
and achieving purity of thought-through education and betterment" part of the definition. So, taking an opportunity for "education and betterment," I attended a raw and vegan workshop and cooking class today. Our teacher, Joel, has worked with Dr. Oz and has been raw and vegan for 10 years. I have to say that it was really inspirational to hear him talk about the science and practicality of cutting out processed food. But the best part was when he shared how being faithful to this practice has lead him to "embracing wholesomeness" in his own life. Not only that, the food that he made was SO delicious and since it was all raw and vegan, I could eat everything and not break my fast.
The God moment for me (aside from the fact that the whole morning was dedicated to livening simply and holistically in a very spiritual fashion) came when he was describing a study that took a room full of children and laid two tables in front of them while they played for two hours. One table was filled with junk food and the other was all natural and raw foods. At the beginning, it was what you might expect--kids eating a lot of junk. But by the end, they were all eating the healthy food. Why? Because we are created to crave, not those things that are unhealthy to our bodies and souls, but the good things that God has provided us. I think that spirit is at the heart of the virtue of chastity. We are created, not to lust after those things which are outside of what God has given us, but to love that which is holy and righteous and true. When we let our desires become wrongly ordered, it is then that we have problems--health-wise or spiritual.
I have to admit, it has me wondering if the way I eat needs to adopt a more chase style as a form of constant daily prayer and pure, wholesome livening.
Day 81: 3/22/13- Seven Heavenly Virtues Week- Humility New Thing- Go a whole day without look at a mirror Inspiration: The Seven Heavenly Virtues Time: All Day Bottom
Line:Mirror, mirror covered on the wall...
No Peaking!
Reflection: Today's heavenly virtue is humility, the opposite of vanity. Take it away, Wiki:
Modest behavior, selflessness, and the giving of respect. Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. It is a spirit of self-examination; a hermeneutic of suspicion toward yourself and charity toward people you disagree with. The courage
of the heart necessary to undertake tasks which are difficult, tedious
or unglamorous, and to graciously accept the sacrifices involved.Reverence for those who have wisdom and those who selflessly teach in
love. Giving credit where credit is due; not unfairly glorifying one's
own self. Being faithful to promises, no matter how big or small they
may be. Refraining from despair and the ability to confront fear and uncertainty, or intimidation.
I agree with the above description of humility--especially the thought that it is "not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less." It means that to think to highly or lowly of oneself keeps the focusaway from God and others. Both are forms of vanity.
As anyone who is close to me knows, I struggle with body image issues. Often, when I look in the mirror, it not a loving response that pops into my head. But I know that that is not how God sees me. He views me as his Beloved Child--even if I don't see that. Yet, I find my backwards vanity to be a distraction from God's vision.
Camel Pose
So, today I decided to have the "courage of heart" to take on the "unglamorous" task of thinking of myself less. I decided to cover every mirror in the house so as to not focus on myself as much today. It was liberating in someways. I had no way of knowing how I looked--good or bad. The only time when it was not possible to get away from mirrors was during my pure barre class and then again at my yoga class. I was willing to have the mirrors though to be have the humblingexperience of bending to the wisdom of my teachers who teach out of love. (Luckily with teachers like Amy, that it purely a joy!) I was actually doing pretty good job of not looking at the wall of mirrors at yoga, until we did camel pose (as seen on the left). In that pose, I could do nothing to escape my reflection on the wall. We flowed in and out of this pose three times (in fine Trinitarian fashion) and each time I was face-to-upside-down-face with myself. This posture is considered a "heart opener" and it occurred to me that this would be a good time to open my heart to the love that God has for me. It may have only lasted a few minuets but it was a good reminder that I am never as good or as bad as I think I am. I hope that it was a step towards a more humble life putting God in the center of all my thoughts.
Day 80: 3/21/13- Seven Heavenly Virtues Week- Diligence New Thing- Watch the Archbishop of Canterbury's Enthronement Inspiration: The Seven Heavenly Virtues, The ABC Time: Over an Hour Bottom
Line:"Christ uniquely comes as living love who liberates Holy Courage."- The Most Rev. Justin Welby
The ABC knocking on the door of the cathedral
Reflection:Continuing with this week's striving to embody the seven heavenly virtues, today I contemplated the grace of diligence. Here is the wiki definition:
A zealous and careful nature in one's actions and work; decisive work ethic, steadfastness in belief, fortitude,
and the capability of not giving up. Budgeting one's time; monitoring
one's own activities to guard against laziness. Upholding one's
convictions at all times, especially when no one else is watching (integrity).
My original plan for this day was to attend the Diocese of Bethlehem's Chrism Mass and renew my ordination vows. After all, "diligence in appointed service" is something I pray for every day (see prayer from Foward Movment below). However, I had to change my plans and instead took some time to watch the Archbishop of Canterbury's Enthronement. I am so glad I did since it was the perfect meditation for what it means to be not just a diligent worker in the church, but Christian in the world. One moment in particular captured that spirit for me. It was the very beginning when tradition dictates that the ABC Elect knocks on the door of the Cathedral to ask for permission to enter. He is then challenged as to his purpose for coming to this ministry. Traditionally, these challenging questions had been asked by the Dean of the Cathedral. But, in a move toward liturgical innovation, Justin chose to be challenged by a 17 year old young lay woman. It wasbeautiful. Here is the description:
He struck the west door of Canterbury Cathedral three times with the end
of his staff as he formally requested admission, before being greeted
by 17-year-old Evangeline Kanagasooriam, who said: ‘We greet you in the
name of Christ. Who are you and why do you request entry?’The Archbishop replied: ‘I am Justin, a servant of Jesus Christ, and I
come as one seeking the grace of God, to travel with you
in his service
together.’ Evangeline added: ‘Why have you been sent to us?’The Archbishop replied: ‘I am sent as Archbishop to serve you, to
proclaim the love of Christ and with you to worship and love him with
heart and soul, mind and strength.’ Evangeline went on to ask: ‘How do you come among us and with what confidence?’The Archbishop said: ‘I come knowing nothing except Jesus Christ and
him crucified, and in weakness and fear and in much trembling.’Evangeline then said to him: ‘Let us then humble ourselves before God and together seek his mercy and strength.’The choir then struck up and the procession moved to the Nave Altar during the hymn.
I would recommend watching the video to see the moment in action. The whole thing gives me goosebumps. The fact that she is so young and a lay person and his humble answers really hits home the fact that our true calling is first and foremost to honor our God, to love and worship him. To follow Jesus and to live into our baptismal identities as his children. That is what we should be diligent to and all of the other obligations and duties of this life flow from that first love and truth. So, for the rest of the day, I tried to be diligent to my call as Christian first. This meant that I should spend longer in prayer and worship of Christ, to love God, be diligent in love and caring, and to always strive to seek God in this world and to make him known to others. As I was diligent to these things, everything else seemed to flow in a nature order and it was actually a more productive day then normal for me.
As they stood in the door way, the wind/Spirit blew all their vestments and her gown
.
Here were a few of my other favorite moments:
Seeing The Rev. Dr. Jo Baily Wells serve as the first women Chaplin to the ABC. I have actually had several conversations with her when she was a professor at Duke.
Seeing Our Presiding Bishop!
Wathing a little girl in the nave starting to dance as everyone applauded him.
Joing with Christians all over the world to pray the Lord's Prayer in our own languages. (That actually made me tear up).
Hearing his message about fearlesslivening in his sermon.
Seeing him sign the Ecumenical Charter (another first)
I believe that Justin's model of a diligent servant of God was a true inspiration to me to day and I would ask God to continue to turn my heart to his service--first as a Christian then then in ever other way.
Here is that prayer I mentioned that I pray every morning:
A Morning Resolve
I will try this day to live a simple, sincere and serene life, repelling
promptly every thought of discontent, anxiety, discouragement,
impurity, and self-seeking; cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity,
charity, and the habit of holy silence; exercising economy in
expenditure, generosity in giving, carefulness in conversation,
diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust, and a childlike
faith in God.
In particular I will try to be faithful in those habits of prayer, work,
study, physical exercise, eating, and sleep which I believe the Holy
Spirit has shown me to be right.
And as I cannot in my own strength do this, nor even with a hope of
success attempt it, I look to thee, O Lord God my Father, in Jesus my
Savior, and ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
