I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility.
Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time.
~Robert Browning
As I child I LOVED Easter. It meant new hats and dresses (some times worn under winter coats—even in the D.C. area). It meant the Easter Egg Roll at the White House with friends and family. It meant flowers and spring air—which has its own essence and aroma. It meant CANDY!!! And yes, being a minister’s daughter, it meant attending church and seeing all the familiar faces there. It was a time for celebration. That feeling has continued throughout the years. There is continuity even if I was in a new or different home for the holiday (my parents shared custody of me until I was eighteen and my mom moved around a bit during my “tween” years).
As ordained clergy, I view the holiday in a whole new light. I am tuned in during Holy Week in new and amazing ways. I was Pastor for a small congregation for several years and looked to make liturgy come to life. I was excited at all the potential ways to tell an ancient story and hope it came to life for folks*. And now, as a campus minister, Holy Week looks different since I meet with students on a weekly (not Sunday) basis. We don’t have daily meetings during Holy Week as schedules are filled with papers, projects, exams, work, and self care. It's up to each of us to dig in and find meaning.
*Greek (Greek: λειτουργία), leitourgia, which literally means "work of the people" is a literal translation of the two words "litos ergos" or "public service".
*Greek (Greek: λειτουργία), leitourgia, which literally means "work of the people" is a literal translation of the two words "litos ergos" or "public service".
The symbolic language of the crucifixion is the death of the old paradigm; resurrection is a leap into a whole new way of thinking.
~Deepak Chopra
This year I notice the fluctuation between my personal spiritual growth and serving the community in deep and profound ways. I continue to do my personal growth work and have made some significant discoveries in the past few weeks. And at the same time, I continue to be called into service of and for the community in which I live. There are deep and impactful ways the communities of the Greater Lansing area need us to show up and speak out.
Lent was “easier” to enter as I am connected to the resounding darkness that has swept the nation since the election and more specifically Inauguration Day. It’s the resurrection that feels difficult. I don’t know how my colleagues who serve in parishes are doing it. And yet, the liturgical calendar will still proceed whether we are personally ready for it or not. To be honest, I feel guilty for celebrating the holiday when so many folks are pressed harder and farther to the margins this year. I continue to ask myself, "Where is the resurrection for folks who are struggling?" Perhaps that question will continue to be with me until I take my last breath.
Lent was “easier” to enter as I am connected to the resounding darkness that has swept the nation since the election and more specifically Inauguration Day. It’s the resurrection that feels difficult. I don’t know how my colleagues who serve in parishes are doing it. And yet, the liturgical calendar will still proceed whether we are personally ready for it or not. To be honest, I feel guilty for celebrating the holiday when so many folks are pressed harder and farther to the margins this year. I continue to ask myself, "Where is the resurrection for folks who are struggling?" Perhaps that question will continue to be with me until I take my last breath.
Men are beginning to realize that they are not individuals but persons in society, that man alone is weak and adrift, that he must seek strength in common action.
~Dorothy Day
And then I’m reminded of a sermon from I heard recently. It isn’t up to us for us to ask, “What would Jesus Do?” After all, we aren’t the Messiah and we probably already know the answer to asking how Jesus will respond to certain situations. But rather, it’s up to us to ask instead, “How am I Transformed by Christ?” It’s in this transformation on personal and communal levels where the resurrection continues to takes place. It is where we see those pressed on the margins and seek active steps in removing the barriers in place for these folks. It is those areas within each of us that are "dead" and no longer serving which need to be shed and resolved. Christ is not among the dead but among the living. What is it within us (that is healthy) that is alive--that is where Christ is. That is what is to be celebrated.
What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but disastrous.
~Thomas Merton
So yes, another resurrection is occurring. Are we ready for it? How will it inspire us this year when so many folks need the good news. What are you looking to transform? How can I be of assistance?
But with Christ, we have access in a one-to-one relationship, for, as in the Old Testament, it was more one of worship and awe, a vertical relationship.
The New Testament, on the other hand, we look across at a Jesus who looks familiar, horizontal. The combination is what makes the Cross.
~Bono
Photos: pixabay.com
RSS Feed