One day Linda brought home two rose bushes, still in their plastic wrapped rootball with directions for planting them. For several days we could not plant them--it was raining. After that quit for a bit we decided to place them inside the fence in the back yard where we can see them from the windows along the back of the house.
Getting a spade from the barn, I helped decide about the where and dug in. The earth smelled good. It was dark, not too much clay. We mixed up the removed dirt with a bag of potting soil, and, after soaking the roses in water for an hour, planted them along the fence. Last Saturday Linda brought home another plant, which we planted Sunday afternoon. So now we have three rose bushes, white, pink, red, beginning to sprout leaves.
Linda also placed some sunflower seedlings out and some marigolds, and other flowers in a couple of other flower beds.
For us, planting is something we do when we are fairly certain we are not moving this year. So they give us enjoyment on more than one level. They are a sort of hope for our lives to bloom here where we have been planted. We'll see, how they (and we) do.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Bloggage
I started out this blog intending to post every day as a matter of personal discipline. My inability to do so is a result of too many things competing for my attention...a blockage of sorts I have termed, "Bloggage." So today is sort of a rotor-rooter blog, trying to gather some of those loose things, identify them, and get them out of the way.
SLEEP
I have found myself getting my days and my nights mixed up. I am often up until 3 or 4 a.m. I would sleep until noon if I could. Part of that is I have become fond of an afternoon nap. I remember my grandfather Jones getting up at 3 or 4 a.m. to milk the cows and feed the stock. He even cooked breakfast before going to his country grocery to work until noon when my grandmother would "relieve" him so he could go home and eat a good lunch she had prepared. Then he took a nap for an hour or hour-and-a-half and returned to the store, closing at 6 p.m. In the evening he had more chores with the stock, and cows, a light supper, some TV and a bowl of cereal before going to bed.
I like my naps. A couple of hours sleep and I'm good for a whole evening. I recharge quickly. But I run down quickly, too. I think its one of the signs of growing older. Anyway, when I am in those run-down modes, I don't want to blog well, and when I am working well, I don't have time.
DOCTORS
Another sign of advancing age is the number of medical professionals you need to consult. We now have caring for us an internist, 2 dietitians, two Primary Care Physiscians, an opthomologist, a mamogram technician, a podiatrist, a dermatologist, a cardiologist, a psychiatrist, a physician's assistant, a dentist, and a proctologist. More to think about, clutter up the mind with schedules, appointments, pills, meds, and injections.
FINANCES
What a big bloggage finances can be! With all the above medical expertise, we have quite a large medical bill for services and medicines each month. Add to that the utilities, repairs, cable and phone bills, clothes, and groceries. Sometime I'll blog about that...and about how people manage to survive in this environment.
YARD
We like living where we live. It is in the country, but not too far from civilization. We have neighbors who are there when we need them, but don't make a bother of themselves. But we have 3 acres of yard to care for...and we can't do it well. So right now we have collected all of last fall's leaves, discarded twigs and limbs from storms, and new grass starting to grow taller now that the weather has turned warmer, rainy, and pollen-laden. When I am working on that or worrying about not working on that I find my blogging inclination sagging.
Oh well...this isn't a very good pity party. But I DO feel better having placed some of these things on print. Gets them out of my head, so maybe, just maybe, I can find energy and clarity to blog more often. And don't worry, the list could go on and on. But I'll save that for another blog. Okay? See you then.
SLEEP
I have found myself getting my days and my nights mixed up. I am often up until 3 or 4 a.m. I would sleep until noon if I could. Part of that is I have become fond of an afternoon nap. I remember my grandfather Jones getting up at 3 or 4 a.m. to milk the cows and feed the stock. He even cooked breakfast before going to his country grocery to work until noon when my grandmother would "relieve" him so he could go home and eat a good lunch she had prepared. Then he took a nap for an hour or hour-and-a-half and returned to the store, closing at 6 p.m. In the evening he had more chores with the stock, and cows, a light supper, some TV and a bowl of cereal before going to bed.
I like my naps. A couple of hours sleep and I'm good for a whole evening. I recharge quickly. But I run down quickly, too. I think its one of the signs of growing older. Anyway, when I am in those run-down modes, I don't want to blog well, and when I am working well, I don't have time.
DOCTORS
Another sign of advancing age is the number of medical professionals you need to consult. We now have caring for us an internist, 2 dietitians, two Primary Care Physiscians, an opthomologist, a mamogram technician, a podiatrist, a dermatologist, a cardiologist, a psychiatrist, a physician's assistant, a dentist, and a proctologist. More to think about, clutter up the mind with schedules, appointments, pills, meds, and injections.
FINANCES
What a big bloggage finances can be! With all the above medical expertise, we have quite a large medical bill for services and medicines each month. Add to that the utilities, repairs, cable and phone bills, clothes, and groceries. Sometime I'll blog about that...and about how people manage to survive in this environment.
YARD
We like living where we live. It is in the country, but not too far from civilization. We have neighbors who are there when we need them, but don't make a bother of themselves. But we have 3 acres of yard to care for...and we can't do it well. So right now we have collected all of last fall's leaves, discarded twigs and limbs from storms, and new grass starting to grow taller now that the weather has turned warmer, rainy, and pollen-laden. When I am working on that or worrying about not working on that I find my blogging inclination sagging.
Oh well...this isn't a very good pity party. But I DO feel better having placed some of these things on print. Gets them out of my head, so maybe, just maybe, I can find energy and clarity to blog more often. And don't worry, the list could go on and on. But I'll save that for another blog. Okay? See you then.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Easter, 2009
We've finished the Lenten-Holy Week-Easter marathon and entered the post-Easter formless void. I've noticed that I have a tendency to focus on the next "big" event on the calendar as a way of giving shape and substance to my world. So when the big event has been experienced, there is the feeling that's akin to that sense of coasting when the airplane in which one is riding reaches its cruising speed and altitude and the pilot cuts back on the thrusters. Sort of a "flung-out-there-to-coast" feeling.
That's what if feels like this morning, the Day After Easter.The thrusters were pushing right up to the end of the day. Linda and I spent some time at the church Saturday night setting up for Sunday morning. The contemporary service does not usually have an altar present (which has bothered me). So we went to Wal-Mart and purchased some 20 yards of whitish cloth and a bunch of Easter Lillies and we made an altar for Easter in the gym using a rectangular table. We "boxed" it by draping it with white, with a separate slightly different white for the cover cloth. Linda arranged the lillies in front and on top of the altar. I found some Kerry oil candles left over from some move or auction or other...complete with their brass bases. With the addition of the fuel and a little creative wick repair, I got them to work. They looked nice (and appropriate) on the new altar.
I rearranged the banners we have hanging from the second floor walking track, and draped more white fabric over the arms of the large wooden cross that stands to the side of our worship area. I also removed the crown of thorns from the cross. Linda placed lillies at the welcome center and took one for the altar she has created in her elementary grade Sunday School Class.
After printing the bulletin for the traditional service we went home about 9:30.I went to the computer to review my sermon and the PowerPoint program for the Contemporary service. There is a time in every preacher's week when s/he knows that the sermon is "ready." I still did not have that feeling...which is sort of strange, since I've been doing this for a while. Anyway, I've learned to trust that sense. I began to work on it, changing, tweaking, adding, cutting, etc. Some of you know that process. So after I got THAT as ready as it could be, I had to change the PPT program's bullets to match the new materials. I like this process. Its flaw is that it can't be completed earlier than the sermon!
I finally got to bed about 4 a.m. and then "rose again" at 6:45 to get ready for the first service.Linda came in and announced "We have an Easter suprise!" Laura and Kyle had posted new photos of Abby! (We are always excited and pleased with these!) I went to the computer to see and spent too much time there saving and pasting and printing the pictures up for Linda to take to church for "show and tell." This is becoming a favorite sport for us.
We finally got to church just after 8:00 for the 8:30 service. I set up the computer and projector, booted up the PPT announcement loop, started the pre-worship CD music, had some strong guys move the grand piano out for us, and started greeting people. This was my first Easter with this church and I did not know what to expect at this service. We ended up with 52 present at 8:30...which included five or six visitors. Lori got there to play the piano, Amy got the PPT remote, the mikes were tested, and we started church. We sang with the piano this Sunday; usually we sing to CD's of various praise and worship artists or instrumentals. We sang the traditional "Up From The Grave He Arose" song and chorus.
When we got to children's time I looked back to the woman whose job that is and saw her giving me the "I've got nothing" panicked look. Quick adjust. I did children's time.We have a time after that for placing tithes and gifts in the "Lord's Box" (instead of passing the offering plate). Then we greet each other, refresh our selves with juice, coffee, cookies, and come back together for prayer and the rest of the service.
Our person who runs the CD changer was not there and with Lori over on the grand piano, no back-up, so I did that, too. Then after another chorus, the sermon. Sermons take on a life of their own sometimes. When they are "ripe and ready" they flow and everything works. This one worked, pretty well. At the end, we have a quiet meditation/decision time, then we all form a circle around the worship area and give each other a benediction. It was good to see people there, holding hands, singing, "Alleluia!" as the service came to a close. And afterward, people hung around and visited. For a long time. I mark that as a good sign of congregational health. (In unhappy congregations, if they show up at all, people leave as soon as services are over).
One of our youth was hanging around while I was putting up the computer, projector, etc. I asked him if he wanted to help and he responded by being a big help in putting things up. (Since our Center is used so much for other activities during the week, we set up and strike our worship "set" every week). We moved the flowers from the gym to the Sanctuary which had a very different set up and already looked very nice, with a some ferns and a litttle couchant lamb in front of the altar and large sprays of multicolored/types of flowers on each side of the chancel. We placed the lillies on the altar and on the rails to the sides of the lecturn and pulpit. The choir director's husband had draped the large wall cross with a strip of white cloth. And added a crown of thorns to it.
After a couple of conversations with people in my study, I robed in white for the traditional service, met the choir in the choir room, prayed with them, and processed into the fairly filled little sanctuary. There were about 70 there. The liturgist led the first half of the service, two girls lit the candles (they are new, and untrained, but eager to be involved, and do this well). I did children's time in this service, as well, surrounded by little girls with flashing lights in their shoes, bunnies in their hands, and so forth. One mother brought her one-year old down to the chancel steps as well.
This congregation has the tradition of the choir presenting an Easter cantata on Easter. Most of my previous congregations have left Easter Sunday for the pastor to expound on the resurrection story, and do their cantata a week earlier on Palm Sunday. While I liked preaching on Easter, I never liked celebrating the resurrection with a cantata a week before Jesus had died. I dunno. Maybe it's just me, but it was a sort of theological cart-before-the-horse thing. Anyway, the choir had worked hard on a Cantata. Our choir does not, for the most part, read music. So it takes them a long time to learn an anthem, let alone a full cantata with eight pieces of music in it. I chose to sing with them (1) because I like to sing; (2) I thought I could help the bass section.
So we presented a true Easter cantata on Easter as a major portion of the service. It went well. We sing to a CD so we have a full orchestra playing for us. Our choir director helps us start on time, make our entrances, and tells us when to cut off at the end. I was miked so I could read the narration between the musical pieces. When it was over, the congregation sang the "He arose!" chorus and we were done. I greeted everyone and went the study and sat down, thankful it had gone well.
After awhle Linda and I went home where she finished preparing food for us to take to Mom's for the family Easter Dinner. I believe this was the first Easter dinner in a long, long time we spent away from our house. We arrived there around 3:00, and had a good meal around the enlarged oak dining table in the dining room. Our ranks are a bit thinner. Brother Don and our Dad are not with us any more. Brother Robert was singing a Mozart requiem in Shreveport, so he and Mary were not there. Michael's friend from QQUMC was there, though. We left two empty chairs, one for Moses and one for Elijah?) sang our family grace, and ate just the right amount of spiral honey ham, potato salad, green salad, corn, asparagus, and two kinds of homemade bread. YUM!
We enjoyed the time together visiting, playing, punning (a big sport in the Armstrong clan), and sharing our various Easter church experiences. We had phone calls from Laura in Boston and Jennifer in Fort Smith which we put on speaker phone so we could all interact. Jim showed up from Camden after a while, and we all gradually went our separate ways.
Linda and I got home around 9:30 or so. I was tired, but caffiened up, so I sat down to watch some news and get some thumb exercise with the remote control. After a while, about to doze off, I came across TCM's presentation of an old Cecil B. DeMille black and white silent film about the crucifixion and resurrection. I had never seen it, so I watched it. It was an interesting hollywood blending of the various scriptural texts, leaving some out, inventing others, etc. When Jesus rose again I hit the sack and slept very well.
So now is Monday, the Day After. The Pilot has cut the thursters back for a while and I don't feel real motivated to do much of anything today (except blog, I suppose). But I know there are new events and opportunities waiting just ahead, a UMW meeting at 6:00 and Linda has a group to lead at the Women's Shelter at 7:00 tonight. Later on, I'l go get my calendar and get to work on the rest of my week. More later. We are coming in for a landing soon, and new possibilities await.
That's what if feels like this morning, the Day After Easter.The thrusters were pushing right up to the end of the day. Linda and I spent some time at the church Saturday night setting up for Sunday morning. The contemporary service does not usually have an altar present (which has bothered me). So we went to Wal-Mart and purchased some 20 yards of whitish cloth and a bunch of Easter Lillies and we made an altar for Easter in the gym using a rectangular table. We "boxed" it by draping it with white, with a separate slightly different white for the cover cloth. Linda arranged the lillies in front and on top of the altar. I found some Kerry oil candles left over from some move or auction or other...complete with their brass bases. With the addition of the fuel and a little creative wick repair, I got them to work. They looked nice (and appropriate) on the new altar.
I rearranged the banners we have hanging from the second floor walking track, and draped more white fabric over the arms of the large wooden cross that stands to the side of our worship area. I also removed the crown of thorns from the cross. Linda placed lillies at the welcome center and took one for the altar she has created in her elementary grade Sunday School Class.
After printing the bulletin for the traditional service we went home about 9:30.I went to the computer to review my sermon and the PowerPoint program for the Contemporary service. There is a time in every preacher's week when s/he knows that the sermon is "ready." I still did not have that feeling...which is sort of strange, since I've been doing this for a while. Anyway, I've learned to trust that sense. I began to work on it, changing, tweaking, adding, cutting, etc. Some of you know that process. So after I got THAT as ready as it could be, I had to change the PPT program's bullets to match the new materials. I like this process. Its flaw is that it can't be completed earlier than the sermon!
I finally got to bed about 4 a.m. and then "rose again" at 6:45 to get ready for the first service.Linda came in and announced "We have an Easter suprise!" Laura and Kyle had posted new photos of Abby! (We are always excited and pleased with these!) I went to the computer to see and spent too much time there saving and pasting and printing the pictures up for Linda to take to church for "show and tell." This is becoming a favorite sport for us.
We finally got to church just after 8:00 for the 8:30 service. I set up the computer and projector, booted up the PPT announcement loop, started the pre-worship CD music, had some strong guys move the grand piano out for us, and started greeting people. This was my first Easter with this church and I did not know what to expect at this service. We ended up with 52 present at 8:30...which included five or six visitors. Lori got there to play the piano, Amy got the PPT remote, the mikes were tested, and we started church. We sang with the piano this Sunday; usually we sing to CD's of various praise and worship artists or instrumentals. We sang the traditional "Up From The Grave He Arose" song and chorus.
When we got to children's time I looked back to the woman whose job that is and saw her giving me the "I've got nothing" panicked look. Quick adjust. I did children's time.We have a time after that for placing tithes and gifts in the "Lord's Box" (instead of passing the offering plate). Then we greet each other, refresh our selves with juice, coffee, cookies, and come back together for prayer and the rest of the service.
Our person who runs the CD changer was not there and with Lori over on the grand piano, no back-up, so I did that, too. Then after another chorus, the sermon. Sermons take on a life of their own sometimes. When they are "ripe and ready" they flow and everything works. This one worked, pretty well. At the end, we have a quiet meditation/decision time, then we all form a circle around the worship area and give each other a benediction. It was good to see people there, holding hands, singing, "Alleluia!" as the service came to a close. And afterward, people hung around and visited. For a long time. I mark that as a good sign of congregational health. (In unhappy congregations, if they show up at all, people leave as soon as services are over).
One of our youth was hanging around while I was putting up the computer, projector, etc. I asked him if he wanted to help and he responded by being a big help in putting things up. (Since our Center is used so much for other activities during the week, we set up and strike our worship "set" every week). We moved the flowers from the gym to the Sanctuary which had a very different set up and already looked very nice, with a some ferns and a litttle couchant lamb in front of the altar and large sprays of multicolored/types of flowers on each side of the chancel. We placed the lillies on the altar and on the rails to the sides of the lecturn and pulpit. The choir director's husband had draped the large wall cross with a strip of white cloth. And added a crown of thorns to it.
After a couple of conversations with people in my study, I robed in white for the traditional service, met the choir in the choir room, prayed with them, and processed into the fairly filled little sanctuary. There were about 70 there. The liturgist led the first half of the service, two girls lit the candles (they are new, and untrained, but eager to be involved, and do this well). I did children's time in this service, as well, surrounded by little girls with flashing lights in their shoes, bunnies in their hands, and so forth. One mother brought her one-year old down to the chancel steps as well.
This congregation has the tradition of the choir presenting an Easter cantata on Easter. Most of my previous congregations have left Easter Sunday for the pastor to expound on the resurrection story, and do their cantata a week earlier on Palm Sunday. While I liked preaching on Easter, I never liked celebrating the resurrection with a cantata a week before Jesus had died. I dunno. Maybe it's just me, but it was a sort of theological cart-before-the-horse thing. Anyway, the choir had worked hard on a Cantata. Our choir does not, for the most part, read music. So it takes them a long time to learn an anthem, let alone a full cantata with eight pieces of music in it. I chose to sing with them (1) because I like to sing; (2) I thought I could help the bass section.
So we presented a true Easter cantata on Easter as a major portion of the service. It went well. We sing to a CD so we have a full orchestra playing for us. Our choir director helps us start on time, make our entrances, and tells us when to cut off at the end. I was miked so I could read the narration between the musical pieces. When it was over, the congregation sang the "He arose!" chorus and we were done. I greeted everyone and went the study and sat down, thankful it had gone well.
After awhle Linda and I went home where she finished preparing food for us to take to Mom's for the family Easter Dinner. I believe this was the first Easter dinner in a long, long time we spent away from our house. We arrived there around 3:00, and had a good meal around the enlarged oak dining table in the dining room. Our ranks are a bit thinner. Brother Don and our Dad are not with us any more. Brother Robert was singing a Mozart requiem in Shreveport, so he and Mary were not there. Michael's friend from QQUMC was there, though. We left two empty chairs, one for Moses and one for Elijah?) sang our family grace, and ate just the right amount of spiral honey ham, potato salad, green salad, corn, asparagus, and two kinds of homemade bread. YUM!
We enjoyed the time together visiting, playing, punning (a big sport in the Armstrong clan), and sharing our various Easter church experiences. We had phone calls from Laura in Boston and Jennifer in Fort Smith which we put on speaker phone so we could all interact. Jim showed up from Camden after a while, and we all gradually went our separate ways.
Linda and I got home around 9:30 or so. I was tired, but caffiened up, so I sat down to watch some news and get some thumb exercise with the remote control. After a while, about to doze off, I came across TCM's presentation of an old Cecil B. DeMille black and white silent film about the crucifixion and resurrection. I had never seen it, so I watched it. It was an interesting hollywood blending of the various scriptural texts, leaving some out, inventing others, etc. When Jesus rose again I hit the sack and slept very well.
So now is Monday, the Day After. The Pilot has cut the thursters back for a while and I don't feel real motivated to do much of anything today (except blog, I suppose). But I know there are new events and opportunities waiting just ahead, a UMW meeting at 6:00 and Linda has a group to lead at the Women's Shelter at 7:00 tonight. Later on, I'l go get my calendar and get to work on the rest of my week. More later. We are coming in for a landing soon, and new possibilities await.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Holy Week Musings
Holy Week has always been a time full of activity for us. Even as a kid, our family was always at the church whenever anything was happening there. At an early age I learned that there was a service of Holy Communion on Thursday night, that Friday was the day Jesus died, and we got out of school for that, Saturday was usually the giant Easter Egg hunt at the city park, and Easter itself--well, Easter was another event entirely!
Looking forward to Easter held almost the same mystery that looking forward to Christmas had. As children we learned it was the celebration of Jesus rising from the Grave. We also learned, but never fully understood, that there was a mystical connection between Jesus and the Easter Bunny. Somehow the unleavened bread and grapejuice of Thursday night's service was changed into the wonder of chocolate candy and marshmellow bunnies. The cross was replaced by the Easter basket. The hidden Jesus was replaced by hidden eggs. I know. Childish connections, but they were all the understanding I had for years.
I've been thinking about these connections, past and present, and reflecting upon how little has changed over the years. 5th graders in Sunday School did not know who Judas was. The church hosted its giant Easter Egg hunt on Wednesday before Holy Thursday...because that was the day they usually meet and all the kids were there (as well as about 30 others who showed up for the eggs). The youth "hid" 1400 candy and note-stuffed plastic eggs around our Community Center building. We had way over 100 children there for the harvest. I think it took them about 25 minutes to recover all the eggs. As far as cultivating expressions of pure greed go, you can't beat a good Easter egg hunt. As kids get older the potential for violence and egg-stealing grows too. I intervened in several little arguments, solving most by offering to take both parties' eggs off their hands and give them to kids who were behaving. (sigh). The kids were, by and large, good kids, and happy with their Easter Egg Hunt experience. I noticed that while most kids came in their school clothes, several girls were decked out in Easter dresses, little heels, jewelery, etc. Mama was usually close by with a camera. Perhaps next year we will stage Easter Egg Hunt pictures and sell the photos as a fund-raiser.
Thursday was Holy Thursday. In recent years my church reported they had staged a "Living Last Supper" in the Community Center with all the "Disciples" costumed in character, with lines to be delivered. The setting was based on the DaVinci painting of the Last Supper. But with several of the "key" persons no longer with us, there weren't enough available to fill out the cast.
So I suggested that rather than do it poorly, we opt out of the presentation this year. Later I learned that attendance had been dwindling for that presentation the last couple of years.
So we used the Tennebrae service straight out of the Book of Worship. Some hymns and scripture, some times of silence and prayer. No sermon. A small group of the faithful gathered.
I selected the oldest ritual (IV) and used that. It felt good; I had not used that service in ten or twelve years. It is the ritual I grew up on, but more archaic in its language. I enjoyed saying the words and as I said each phrase layers and layers of memories leafed back in my mind. It's hard to describe, but it was, at least for me, a refreshing exercise.
I also used the small individual cups instead of the loaf and chalice of recent times. People came to the rail and knelt or stood to receive the Sacrament. The whole service was simple, but fulfilling.
Today was Good Friday. We stayed in today, working on Easter projects, cleaning house, etc. This evening we drove into Little Rock so Linda could attend Good Friday at her church, Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church. My sister, Anne, is the Worship Pastor there. They have an excellent organist who played the great (electronic) pipe organ as well as the grand piano and led the choir of 15 or so. In the large 900-seat sanctuary, there were 50 or 60 folks attending, a mixture of young, old, and middlers, black, white, straight, gay, a very mixed group.
They used the same liturgy I had used on Holy Thursday for my church, but with grander music, more readers, and an acolyte who extingushed an altar candle after each of the 16 readings from the Scripture. Our son, Michael and my mom sang in the choir. I had the opportunity to think about all the special services I had experienced in that sanctuary after we had moved from Missouri to Little Rock. More than a decade of going through the liturgical cycle and rhythms, seasons, colors, and celebrations. More than a few pastors and staff persons moving through the leadership teams. More than a few worship services serving as usher, choir member, worship participant. Worship spaces have such a profound effect on the ways we see and model our faith.
After the service Anne said her son had gone off with her car keys, so we took her home, then went out to a tiny Greek restaurant and had Gyros and Shishkebab sandwiches for a late supper. Then the hour drive home.
Tomorrow is Holy Saturday, when the disciples kept out of sight, honoring the Sabbath, no doubt confused and afraid of what lay ahead. We will spend it getting ready for Easter, stopping by the bank, shopping for Easter dinner ingredients, flowers, setting up both church worship spaces for the Easter Celebrations on Sunday morning. There are white drapes to hang on the arms of the crosses. Candles to fuel. Lillies to buy and place, ferns to place, bulletins to print, and powerpoint presentations to finish. The local Volunteer Fire Department will hold an Easter Egg Hunt for the children of its members on a portio of our church property. The choir will hold its final rehearsal for the Easter Cantata (to be sung at the 10:45 "Traditional Service" in the Sanctuary).
On Easter Sunday we are NOT having a sunrise service. It IS going to rain on Easter here (70% chance). We are NOT spending gazillions on Easter Candy and plastic grass.
We will have a good crowd, some coming home to match those who are going away for the special day. We will sing the old hymns in both service. I will preach in the first, sing and narrate in the second. And we will proclaim Christ Risen once again. Then we will drive to Mom's in Little Rock to have a late Easter Dinner with the others in the family (and friends).
Sometimes I think all the activity and ritual serves more to obscure the basic message of Easter.
What about you?
Looking forward to Easter held almost the same mystery that looking forward to Christmas had. As children we learned it was the celebration of Jesus rising from the Grave. We also learned, but never fully understood, that there was a mystical connection between Jesus and the Easter Bunny. Somehow the unleavened bread and grapejuice of Thursday night's service was changed into the wonder of chocolate candy and marshmellow bunnies. The cross was replaced by the Easter basket. The hidden Jesus was replaced by hidden eggs. I know. Childish connections, but they were all the understanding I had for years.
I've been thinking about these connections, past and present, and reflecting upon how little has changed over the years. 5th graders in Sunday School did not know who Judas was. The church hosted its giant Easter Egg hunt on Wednesday before Holy Thursday...because that was the day they usually meet and all the kids were there (as well as about 30 others who showed up for the eggs). The youth "hid" 1400 candy and note-stuffed plastic eggs around our Community Center building. We had way over 100 children there for the harvest. I think it took them about 25 minutes to recover all the eggs. As far as cultivating expressions of pure greed go, you can't beat a good Easter egg hunt. As kids get older the potential for violence and egg-stealing grows too. I intervened in several little arguments, solving most by offering to take both parties' eggs off their hands and give them to kids who were behaving. (sigh). The kids were, by and large, good kids, and happy with their Easter Egg Hunt experience. I noticed that while most kids came in their school clothes, several girls were decked out in Easter dresses, little heels, jewelery, etc. Mama was usually close by with a camera. Perhaps next year we will stage Easter Egg Hunt pictures and sell the photos as a fund-raiser.
Thursday was Holy Thursday. In recent years my church reported they had staged a "Living Last Supper" in the Community Center with all the "Disciples" costumed in character, with lines to be delivered. The setting was based on the DaVinci painting of the Last Supper. But with several of the "key" persons no longer with us, there weren't enough available to fill out the cast.
So I suggested that rather than do it poorly, we opt out of the presentation this year. Later I learned that attendance had been dwindling for that presentation the last couple of years.
So we used the Tennebrae service straight out of the Book of Worship. Some hymns and scripture, some times of silence and prayer. No sermon. A small group of the faithful gathered.
I selected the oldest ritual (IV) and used that. It felt good; I had not used that service in ten or twelve years. It is the ritual I grew up on, but more archaic in its language. I enjoyed saying the words and as I said each phrase layers and layers of memories leafed back in my mind. It's hard to describe, but it was, at least for me, a refreshing exercise.
I also used the small individual cups instead of the loaf and chalice of recent times. People came to the rail and knelt or stood to receive the Sacrament. The whole service was simple, but fulfilling.
Today was Good Friday. We stayed in today, working on Easter projects, cleaning house, etc. This evening we drove into Little Rock so Linda could attend Good Friday at her church, Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church. My sister, Anne, is the Worship Pastor there. They have an excellent organist who played the great (electronic) pipe organ as well as the grand piano and led the choir of 15 or so. In the large 900-seat sanctuary, there were 50 or 60 folks attending, a mixture of young, old, and middlers, black, white, straight, gay, a very mixed group.
They used the same liturgy I had used on Holy Thursday for my church, but with grander music, more readers, and an acolyte who extingushed an altar candle after each of the 16 readings from the Scripture. Our son, Michael and my mom sang in the choir. I had the opportunity to think about all the special services I had experienced in that sanctuary after we had moved from Missouri to Little Rock. More than a decade of going through the liturgical cycle and rhythms, seasons, colors, and celebrations. More than a few pastors and staff persons moving through the leadership teams. More than a few worship services serving as usher, choir member, worship participant. Worship spaces have such a profound effect on the ways we see and model our faith.
After the service Anne said her son had gone off with her car keys, so we took her home, then went out to a tiny Greek restaurant and had Gyros and Shishkebab sandwiches for a late supper. Then the hour drive home.
Tomorrow is Holy Saturday, when the disciples kept out of sight, honoring the Sabbath, no doubt confused and afraid of what lay ahead. We will spend it getting ready for Easter, stopping by the bank, shopping for Easter dinner ingredients, flowers, setting up both church worship spaces for the Easter Celebrations on Sunday morning. There are white drapes to hang on the arms of the crosses. Candles to fuel. Lillies to buy and place, ferns to place, bulletins to print, and powerpoint presentations to finish. The local Volunteer Fire Department will hold an Easter Egg Hunt for the children of its members on a portio of our church property. The choir will hold its final rehearsal for the Easter Cantata (to be sung at the 10:45 "Traditional Service" in the Sanctuary).
On Easter Sunday we are NOT having a sunrise service. It IS going to rain on Easter here (70% chance). We are NOT spending gazillions on Easter Candy and plastic grass.
We will have a good crowd, some coming home to match those who are going away for the special day. We will sing the old hymns in both service. I will preach in the first, sing and narrate in the second. And we will proclaim Christ Risen once again. Then we will drive to Mom's in Little Rock to have a late Easter Dinner with the others in the family (and friends).
Sometimes I think all the activity and ritual serves more to obscure the basic message of Easter.
What about you?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Crunch Time
My children learned the art of procrastination from me. I have mastered it, pretty much. For instance, I know that I have lots of items to photocopy for the resumption of our weekly "Wacky Wednesday" with our children and youth at the church. I have to finish two reports for the National Storytelling Network board today (at least I've started!). There is a list of first-0f-the-month payments waiting to be entered into the computer and sent off into electropaymentland.
Sweetie wants me to sort through a ton of accumulated stuff (which happens if you are a real Master of Procrastination (Mo.P.) and have put off sorting and discarding enough times.) The car needs a thorough defragging and the yard is (to my mind, at least) not quite ripe for spring cleaning.
Oh yes, I have a full-time job as well.
When things stack up enough, something has to give. I want you to know that I've not forgotten about my resolve to post daily. I really meant to. But I've been putting it off, waiting for the right time or the right inspiration, etc. Now that I've written this, I feel much better. There is a little slack in the stack. Maybe I'll go take a little nap.
Sweetie wants me to sort through a ton of accumulated stuff (which happens if you are a real Master of Procrastination (Mo.P.) and have put off sorting and discarding enough times.) The car needs a thorough defragging and the yard is (to my mind, at least) not quite ripe for spring cleaning.
Oh yes, I have a full-time job as well.
When things stack up enough, something has to give. I want you to know that I've not forgotten about my resolve to post daily. I really meant to. But I've been putting it off, waiting for the right time or the right inspiration, etc. Now that I've written this, I feel much better. There is a little slack in the stack. Maybe I'll go take a little nap.
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