Prayers for Easter Sunday
“Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid. Come and see." But you're not in the manger anymore, and You're not in the grave either.
Something huge has happened. Nothing makes sense, but everything is as it should be. The universe is made right. It all looks the same, but it is made new, past anything we can see. or know. It is far too much for us.
Easter Sunday
He might have been a wafer in the hands
Of priests this day, or music from the lips
Of red-robed choristers, instead he slips
Away from church, shakes off our linen bands
To don his apron with a nurse: he grips
And lifts a stretcher, soothes with gentle hands
The frail flesh of the dying, gives them hope,
Breathes with the breathless, lends them strength to cope.
Maundy Thursday (Commandment Thursday)
They did not know this was going to be their last meal together. They did not know Jesus was going to reinterpret the Passover and give it new meaning.
They did not know one of them would betray Jesus that night. They did not know Jesus was going to pray in a way they had never heard before, with anguish and sorrow.
They did not know in just a few hours they would all abandon him and scatter in the darkness.
They did not know any of it, how could they have? They went to the meal expecting prayer, singing, teaching and a meal. They went expecting church. What happened changed their lives and changed the world.
A Prayer for Palm Sunday Pt.2
Oh, great Lion of Judah, worthy are you! In the end of all things it is you who stands. Please, let me look up also, and see you, to recognize you: a lamb, who looked as though he were slain. Oh lord, teach me to recognize you and your ways. Lamb of God, remove from my eyes my false ideas of Kingship, power, and glory so that I may pray again, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Forgive Them
A prayer of universal absolution…
“Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.
They do not know any better. They do not know us.
They do not know our love for them. They simply do not know.”
A Prayer for Palm Sunday
Their songs and the road of branches they made for you, that you wouldn’t touch the ground that you yourself had made, they were exuberant and a little awkward and misguided. But you redeemed them. You rode on a donkey, and wept over the city and the blindness of those who wanted to follow you. And when the religious leaders told you to quiet the crowd, you told them that the rocks would cry out. Creation was bursting with You - who you are and what you were about to do. But you let people try to find the words, even the wrong ones.
Montreal
All stories are affected by the virus. Infected.
What do I make of all this? How do I, as a journalist, reflect on this?
It’s a tough question.
There are some that are frustrated, some that are energized, some that are scared, and some that are defensive, but they all kind of see that a) we’re all in this together; b) we have to do something; c) now is not the time to be a spazz and d) we need to do a better job of washing our hands.
Some are kind, some are cautious, some are curious and some are mean. Sometimes, all of the above are stupid.
Spiritual Practices
It is through both our similarities and our differences that we are formed spiritually, that we grow in our relationship with, and our understanding of, ourselves and God. When times are “normal” we find the pathways which allow us to grow and relate. Sometimes though we can stick too closely to the well-worn ways, never wanting to try new ones. This can limit the breadth and depth of our formation. In these “covid times” however, even our well-worn ways may not be fully accessible.
A Prayer Three Weeks In
God of life, God of love unconquered and unconquerable, we long for the day when we shall all be unbound and set free from the uncertainty and the fear and the isolation and the loneliness of this dark time.
But, right now, we need you to be with us; we need to feel your presence; we need to hear your Spirit calling to our spirits; we need to know that the darkness is not dark to you.
In faith, in hope, in longing, we offer our prayers.
The God of Small Things
I think there has often been an expectation in our society of being productive, of accomplishments. That is the bar of success that is held up. And expectations are hard when you’re in survival mode.
Did you go to work and make dinner and read a great story to your kids and have a spotless house?
Did you make a healthy breakfast and commute in an environmentally friendly way and do awesome at your job and have a super great conversation with your partner?
Did you get outside for a walk and phone all your kids and drop off groceries for your neighbour and finish a project around the house?
My Dad’s Birthday
My dad really was born in a golden era, opportunities to survive and thrive existed even for a widow with three boys, with of course the help of extended family and the local church. Dad was gifted with a mind for numbers, would work in insurance for a time, then on to be an accountant before finally finding his vocation, his true calling as a teacher.
We Thought That This Would Last
I come to you now naming that which I have lost in this time. When I hear the words, “We thought that this would last”, I think about what I can so easily take for granted. I pray for those who are suffering these disconnections at this time. I ask you to guard my heart as I feel the loss in my life as well.
Plagues in History and in Literature
In Christian faith, freedom has always to do with Christ. “If the Son has set us free then we are free indeed.” Freedom is not necessarily to do what we want. Freedom is not about our comfort or our health or wealth.
Freedom, in Christian faith properly understood, is the freedom to love.
Perhaps, when things around us seem so much more insecure, we can aim to discover the gift of this freedom.
I Suck at Patience
How long, O Lord?
The quintessential question of the moment; How long? For this test result, the end of this shift, this surgery to be rescheduled, this school year to resume, this persistent anxiety to subside. How long will my savings last? How long will the gloves, and the masks, and the ICU beds last?
I don’t know.
Storytelling
I’ve been thinking a lot about storytelling recently.
I’ve never been so keenly aware of living through history. You know, we are living things that will be put into textbooks, given as short answers on some poor grade 11’s socials final: What was your family’s go-to activity during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020?
Feast of the Annunciation
What God promises will always come to pass, we just need to remember it will take time, God time, three mile an hour time. And that time between the promise and its fulfillment? Well that is life being lived in the shadow between what will be and what is not yet.
How Deserted Lies the City
We ought to be careful about making direct parallels between biblical history and our own time, but we can be awakened to some of the larger truths of life that we often fail to see. We can think that our society, our culture, our city is invincible, that it goes on no matter what.
Dwelling
Who are the people who get you through times like this?
It may be family. Some are blessed to be at home with loved ones and for the most part that may be a positive.
We also know that more Canadians live alone now than ever before. Whether you have a crew of people around you or if you are on your own, there are people who get you through.
Is this Week Two?
Is this week two, only?
“They”say that it could be months. Months?
How are you holding up? Have you been able to adjust fairly well?
Ancient Days
Do you get tired easier now than when there was more of a world?
Much of what we count of as the world is gone from us now.
The evening still comes, though.
Do you get tired easier now than before?
I have found that I am so tired when the night comes.