Day 89: 3/30/13- Holy Saturday & Vigil Perfection

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.