Happy first week of Easter! What a glorious day here in South Saint Louis. The sun is shining, the birds are singing. Our Dogwood is stunning as the blooms opened over the weekend. We have a new little girl in the family as we found out we are a great aunt and uncle again. It's been an amazing Easter. Joy unspeakable and full of glory!
After the hustle and bustle of getting ready for the Easter celebration and all the good and wonderful things that come from visiting with friends and family it is a good time for the old gardener to slow down. I'm slowing down on this Easter Monday to notice the beauty that surrounds me. The glory of creation. I am slowing down to appreciate what the plants and flowers and trees look like and to truly remember that God is here, right now, in all of this. The risen Lord sanctifies this simple, ordinary place and makes it holy. I often forget that I walk and work alongside God every day. I think about today's reading and realize it is a mixture of fear and joy working and living with the knowledge that in everything I do and everything around me, God is present. Presence. Alive and risen as we begin this Paschaltide. Present. Amen.
0 Comments
Psalm 95
"...today, if you hear his voice. Harden not your heart." It is Easter Even, Holy Saturday. That Thin Place where the realms of Heaven and Earth seem so close they can almost touch. We never really know exactly how the resurrection took place. We know the women went to the tomb, but the tomb was already empty and then. Then they see the resurrected one. "Greetings!" That's what the resurrected Jesus said to the women: "Greetings! Do not be afraid." Can you imagine? I would be literally shaking in my boots. "Go and tell my friends to meet me in Galilee. There I will meet them." Simple. Ordinary. Greetings! Hi, there! Don't be afraid, it's me. It all came together. Tell everyone to meet me in the simple, ordinary place where we always meet. It's all coming together. How do I meet the risen one? I do I hear his voice? Take this old, hard, broken heart and soften it up with oil and wine. Fill it up with love and hope and faith. Simple. Ordinary. Love, Hope and Faith. Amen. It is Good Friday in our journey to Easter. I was always taken aback by the use of "Good" Friday. Once I realized the word Good was an Olde English word that meant Holy it made perfect sense. Just as we would hear a good and holy thing is happening.
On a Good and Holy Friday we once again are witnesses to the brutality and suffering of the perfect sacrifice. Yet, through this anguish and suffering we retrieve a symbol of power. The cross stands as a symbol of the power of forgiveness and love in spite of hate. The cross stands as a symbol of power. A symbol of love and forgiveness. Powerful! We need this symbol today more than ever. In a world that sometimes feels like hatred and anger flow with such force throughout our cities and towns. We need the power of forgiveness and love. I often forget that love is power! I am in awe and wonder at the love and forgiveness offered to me, a simple, ordinary sinful being. Undeserved, yet I receive this grace-filled gift of forgiveness and love if we only receive it. It is a Good Friday. Amen. Did you know that Hostas are a part of the asparagus family? Such a lovely plant and so graceful in that small strip of property between our sidewalk and the neighbor's house. It's shady almost 100-percent of the time and these plants love it there. They are perennials and grow in clumps. They live a very long life and just bring a sense of peace every time I see them.
Today is Holy Thursday. In my daily meditations it's the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. I remember being a kid in Arkansas and my people pointing at the "foot-washing Baptists" as if they were some crazy sect of nutjobs. The idea of humbling oneself for another is a loving act. How would I behave if offered that same instance of unconditional love from Jesus? It's a question, yes. But, when I think about it, it's a daily occurrence. I have that unconditional love fight now. I am loved today, unconditionally. Just the way I am. When I think about it, it becomes almost mind-blowing. Isn't that simply incredible? My prayers are for our world, our country, our city, and our neighborhoods to feel the presence of love. The only power truly strong enough to change things. Faith. Hope. Love. The greatest is Love. I hope you feel the love today. The unconditional love of knowing you don't have to do anything. You are simply loved. Amen! We've added another Hellebore (Pippa's Purple) to the Carondelet Garden in celebration of Holy Week. The Lenten Rose is one of my favorite Spring plants and this one is a real stunner. A beautiful celebration of Spring and all things Holy!
I have taken to an ancient liturgy on the Wednesday of Holy Week the past years: the service of Tennebrae. Tennebrae is a Latin word which means darkness. Using music and breaking the story of Jesus' suffering and death into 16 parts. We light 15 candles and listen and read each part, extinguishing one candle every time until we are in darkness. It doesn't have to take a very long time, but it is such a moving experience to end Jesus journey as a human and end it in darkness. The darkness we also experience at this time of year until Easter and all things change. The light of the world has come. It's dark and stormy this morning here in the Carondelet Garden. The winds are blowing and the lightning is flashing. Darkness has come. We wait for the light in prayer and anticipation. The celebration is coming, but first the darkness. Tennebrae. Holy Wednesday. The Suscipe (Receive) of Saint Ignatius Take, Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, understanding, my whole will. All that I am and I possess, You have given me: I surrender it all to you to be used according to your will. Give me only your love and your grace; that is enough for me. Amen. "Do you not know?
Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God; The creator of the ends of the earth." -Isaiah 40:38 I love this verse. It perfectly sums up the photo from yesterday. The bees were having a field day out in our Vinca border. The creator of the ends of the earth! I will end with this collect from our friends of the Methodist tradition. A very fitting prayer for this Great and Holy Tuesday: "Almighty, everlasting God, grant us so perfectly to follow the passion of our Lord, that we may obtain the help and pardon of his all-sufficient grace; through him who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen." Great and Holy Monday as we begin Holy Week and the first Monday of April. The Music Garlic is looking good in this raised bed. The second raised bed did not make it after the harsh freeze earlier last Winter. I am grateful for this one! It's partly cloudy and warming up here in the Carondelet Garden this morning.
As I was reading the Gospel of John this morning I was struck by the idea of prayer. Oftentimes, when I was a younger man, I thought of prayer as a very practiced ideal. You had to have a certain posture and be very serious. It was important to use certain language and be very "prayerful." As I grow older, I'm finding that my prayers are not like that anymore. I now pray through so many different ways as I journey through this life. Several years ago, I was introduced to the idea of "Prayer by walking around." A simple practice of recognizing God in all things. Everywhere you look you can see the hand of God at work. I love the simple, ordinariness of this kind of prayer. As I continue my journey, I'm beginning to realize that prayer can be as simple a touch or a hug, a smile from a stranger, or a simple act of kindness. Prayer in all things. Simple, ordinary prayer. God in all things. God in all! Amen. Happy April Fool's Day!
I hope everyone is safe and sound on this first Saturday in April. Spring is so welcome, but Spring storms can wreak havoc. My heart breaks for the folks in Arkansas and beyond. The raised beds are cleaned and refreshed and ready for Spring planting. I can't wait to plant our tomatoes later this month. Exciting times ahead. It's a fun-filled day with visits to friends and watching a little guy's soccer game. I hope you have a relaxing wonder-filled weekend filled with faith, hope and love on this first Saturday of April. That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
July 2024
Categories |