Musings Along Life's Way: Second Sunday in Easter

Dear Friends,

This coming Sunday, the Second Sunday in Easter, has been called "Low" Sunday in the traditional church calendar. In Protestant circles this has come to mean low attendance after the huge attendance for Easter Sunday the week before. I suspect that traditionally this has been the case -- fewer people attend church the week after Easter than do on Easter Sunday. That is almost a certain thing.

However, I have reason to believe that we will not experience a typical "Low" Sunday this week. This is because we have the wonderful opportunity to hear fantastic music in our church sanctuary. Yes, yes, I know that we hear fantastic music each week (Thank you Ron and Chancel Choir). However, this week is special because the Chamber Singers from Montgomery High School will be with us in worship. Their director, Dana Alexander is a member of our church and has graciously offered to bring them to our church to sing sacred music during worship. We are looking forward to a wonderful worship service with the Montgomery High Chamber Singers featured prominently. Oh yes, low Sunday. Apparently, it was all a big mistake. An article from wikipedia sets it all to rest:

It was sometimes said that the name derives from its relative unimportance
compared to the solemnities of Easter Day, but it is more likely that "low" is a
corruption of the Latin word Laudes, the first word of the Sequence of the day:
"Laudes Salvatori voce modulemur supplici" (Let us sing praises to the Savior
with humble voice). Laudes means "praises.

We invite you to come to our continuing celebration of Easter this Sunday. Let me remind you that after church, a wonderful meal will be served. As a gift from the Stewardship Board, a thank you for your contribution to the church, there will be a Corned Beef and Cabbage lunch served in Friendship Hall. All are welcome!!
See you in church.

Blessings, David

Musings Along Life's Way: Holy Week

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. -- John 12:24-25

I abandoned and forgot myself,
laying my face on my Beloved;
all things ceased;
I went out from myself,
leaving my caresforgotten among the lilies.
-St. John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul

It is Holy Week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, the week of Jesus' suffering and on Friday, Christ's death. During Holy Week we enter into the heart of mystery, we embrace the truth "that God's ways are not our ways." In a world where we desire order we find that that resting in the heart of things is paradox, that things are upside down: dark is light and death is life. Perhaps more mysterious still, we find our hope in such upside down thinking.
What I like about thinking upside down is that it asks you to forget everything you thought you knew. It asks you to revise all your previous formulae, your conclusions about life and invites you to open your heart to the new and previously unimagined. When John of the Cross forgets and moves out from himself, his new life in Christ opens in an new found intimacy, his face upon the Beloved. In this relationship, John finds that he leaves worry behind and that without anxiety he is free, free for God's love in and through his life.

This is Holy Week, the time when we focus on a prime symbol of the faith , the cross, that, frankly, leaves us all a bit uneasy. Perhaps it can all be summed up in a popular phrase very often heard – let go and let God. The cross is the symbol for letting go. As we let go of even that which is precious to us we are then able to awaken to God's presence. Have a good Holy Week.

Blessings, David

Holy Week Schedule
Thursday, March 20, 6 pm: Maundy Thursday Simple Meal and Worship. The meal begins at 6, the service at 7.
Easter Dawn, March 23, 8:30 am: Our early service will be out on the lawn as we welcome the risen one into our heats and lives. Easter Festival, March 23, 10:30 am: Come to our Easter Festival Worship.

Musings Along Lifes Way: Palm Sunday

40 Some of the people in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’ Luke 19:40

When something joyous happens in our lives, when the miraculous breaks through ... say the birth of a child or grandchild, or perhaps the joy of standing beneath a flowering plum tree as the spring wind sends her petals flying...when the miraculous breaks through, there is no containing it. This is what happened on Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday. Something joyous was afoot -- God's Word made flesh in Jesus was coming to town. Love was about, entering the city, entering human lives, transforming hearts as love made love's way through city streets.

As often happens there were those who want to contain the joy, hold back the emotion, control others. They said to the joyous, "Be quiet." Then love incarnate, Jesus, love love's self, spoke up -- "if they were quiet, the stones themselves would shout out loud." There is no containing love's way in the world. Love will be done, joy made manifest. Palm Sunday is an invitation to be caught up in the joyous, to sing hosanna and to throw off our coats with abandon. Palm Sunday is an invitation to briefly touch the joy, that despite the sorrow of Holy Week, will prevail. With Palm Sunday we are invited to enter Jerusalem, to walk the city streets and discover for ourselves to the love with will not let us go, the love that can endure all things and emerge victorious.

This Sunday is Palm Sunday. I look forward to seeing you in church. David

Musings Along Lifes Way: Upcoming Workshop

Next Saturday, March 15 there will be a Lenten retreat held in our church building. What is exciting is that the United Churches of Christ of Sonoma County, are jointly sponsoring this event.

Workshops will include:
The Practice of Compassion
Clowning Ministries
Everyday Holiness: knitting prayer shawls
Praying with Color
Meditation

There will be opportunities to worship together and to get to know people from other United Churches of Christ. Lunch will be provided and child care will be available. There is a fee of 20 dollars for each participant. If the fee is a problem, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. I am looking forward to this event and to seeing many of us there.
Blessings, David