Dear Friends and Companions in Ministry,
Thank you for a meaningful Holy Week and wonderful celebrations of Easter, at both the Vigil and on Easter Sunday morning. Thank you to all who contributed to our services by singing, organizing the many aspects from altar guild duties to those reading lessons. Thank you to Carey Perkins, our parish administrator, and Martha Burford, our director of music, for working so well with me and supporting me in my first Holy Week/Easter with you. Thank you to Bill Smith for building our new cross for the “Flowering of the Cross.” With the nights of frost a few days before Easter, I was concerned about having a sufficient supply of flowers for the children to put on the cross, but no need for concern – you all provided more than enough! In my Easter Sunday sermon, I mentioned that each flower put on that cross represented to me the gift that each child, and each person, gives to God and to the world, which makes Resurrection visible in our midst. This continues to be a powerful image for me, and really represents for me who we are as a faith community. We each bring beautiful gifts, the gift of ourselves, and we offer those gifts to help others and to make God’s love visible. We might never think about it that way; we don’t have to; we just do what we do, we are who we are, and that makes all the difference in the world. God’s love is made visible; we are the hands and heart of the Risen Christ.
Everyone has heard of the Stations of the Cross, but have you ever heard of the Stations of the Resurrection? I have had the joy of celebrating services with Stations of the Resurrection. Each Station speaks of Resurrection, of new life, God’s love, and the human spirit being known in powerful ways. The ideal is that a community makes Stations of Resurrection based on the circumstances of their lives and ministry. For example, one station for us might be a visual representation of our Food Pantry. We would create the art together and also write text for prayerful expression in words of our experience of God/Resurrection/Great Love among us, in our world. Maybe we will do something like that as a group at some time, but, for now, I encourage you to consider what the Stations of Resurrection might before you. We do so much during Lent for spiritual development, but often the Easter season gets little attention as a season for growth. On June 8th, we will celebrant our great festival of Pentecost; before that day, we are in the season of Easter. Perhaps during the Easter season, you and I could consider where we see Resurrection: new life, God’s love in action, our love in action. What would a Station of such a thing look like, for you? Can we think of one each week of the Easter season? I would love to hear what you see, what images you have of Resurrection in daily life. Let me know. Blessings for an Easter season filled with joy!
Faithfully yours,
Hilary+
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