Dearest e-votees,
Have you ever has a special occasion that you really wanted to do up right? You had plans and intentions to make commemoration and to bring honor? An occasion that was calling you to rise and respond?
Have you ever had such an occasion not live up to your own anticipation? Maybe you couldn't pull off your plans. Maybe you pulled off your planned flawlessly yet the response of the recipients was lackluster. Your big day feels like a big flop.
You are not alone.
Peace,
Karl
------------
There is an episode of the Ellen show that is seared into my memory. It was Thanksgiving, I think, and Ellen was hosting the meal. Her stove was broken. She was fixing Cornish game hens. So she had a Cornish game hen in each of her apartment neighbors' stoves. Her friend was coming over and bringing a guest. It turns out the guest was Martha Stewart the entertaining and culinary deity. And everything that could go wrong did. I won't spoil it for you. (If you want to track it down the episode from season 3 on Amazon (only $0.99). It is called "Salad Days" and it aired in November 15, 1995. Suffice it to say things were spectacularly awful. Ellen tried so hard to have things come together. She wanted to look good. She wanted to impress her guests. She wanted to pull off something Martha Stewartesque. She didn't. The gracious line as the episode ends is worth the cost of admission. Grace is a healing balm to an anxious soul.
We have a series of special occasions on the horizon--Holy Week. We have 5 worship services to commemorate the final week of Jesus' pre-resurrection ministry. There's the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday with the tumbling of the coin changers table. There's Maundy Thursday with the Last Supper, the washing of the disciples feet and the great command that we love one another. There's the torturous trial, condemnation and execution of Jesus on Good Friday. There's the waiting between Good Friday and Easter known as the Easter Vigil--the time the church has populated with story telling, music, communion and new fire. There's the celebration of Easter itself with all of the joy, feasting, finery and marvelous singing in honor of our Lord and Savior who couldn't be held down in the grave.
These are days we really want to get right. We have plans and intentions to make commemoration and to bring honor to Jesus. Easter is one of the highest days of church attendance and participation of the entire year. Normally we bring out the musicians and the beautiful paraments throughout the week. On Easter there is brass and lilies and eating and joyous worship. The intimacy of Maundy Thursday is one of the high points of the church year for me. But this year we won't be able to have things just as we would want them. Closed buildings, forced distance and contrived electronic connections just aren't the same. We want to have things come together. We want to look good. We want to roll out the hospitality for our guests. We want to pull off something worthy of God and edifying to all. We won't. Or at least not as we usually do. This year is different. This year's empty tomb will be darkened by the shadow of COVID-19. Some of us might be anxious and want to pull it off regardless through our own strength and machinations and of those we compel to help us (think Martha and Mary). Our anxiety might be flaring. Jesus has a gracious word for us--"Peace be with you". Grace is a healing balm to an anxious soul.
One of my favorite books about the faith is by the author Matt Mikalatos. He wrote My Imaginary Jesus: The Spiritual Adventures of One Man Searching for the Real God. It is a strange and thoughtful and evocative book. It is really hard to summarize it. There is a trailer for the book which you are welcome to watch if you dare. I bring this book up because Chapter 36, "Dinner with the President" manages to capture the anxiety of "Salad Days" with the servant example of Jesus on Maundy Thursday. It will be part of our Maundy Thursday streaming service this year as we have permission from the author to play that chapter from the audio book. I hope you will bring yourself, your whimsy and your curiosity to our service. It will premiere at our MLC Facebook page at 7:00 PM, EST. Please come if you can.
God, anxiety and fear are readily on hand these days. Holy Week seems daunting and perhaps even impossible to do well. Bring your grace, your healing balm, to our anxious and troubled souls. Speak to us again "Peace be with you." Amen.
Have you ever has a special occasion that you really wanted to do up right? You had plans and intentions to make commemoration and to bring honor? An occasion that was calling you to rise and respond?
Have you ever had such an occasion not live up to your own anticipation? Maybe you couldn't pull off your plans. Maybe you pulled off your planned flawlessly yet the response of the recipients was lackluster. Your big day feels like a big flop.
You are not alone.
Peace,
Karl
------------
There is an episode of the Ellen show that is seared into my memory. It was Thanksgiving, I think, and Ellen was hosting the meal. Her stove was broken. She was fixing Cornish game hens. So she had a Cornish game hen in each of her apartment neighbors' stoves. Her friend was coming over and bringing a guest. It turns out the guest was Martha Stewart the entertaining and culinary deity. And everything that could go wrong did. I won't spoil it for you. (If you want to track it down the episode from season 3 on Amazon (only $0.99). It is called "Salad Days" and it aired in November 15, 1995. Suffice it to say things were spectacularly awful. Ellen tried so hard to have things come together. She wanted to look good. She wanted to impress her guests. She wanted to pull off something Martha Stewartesque. She didn't. The gracious line as the episode ends is worth the cost of admission. Grace is a healing balm to an anxious soul.
We have a series of special occasions on the horizon--Holy Week. We have 5 worship services to commemorate the final week of Jesus' pre-resurrection ministry. There's the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday with the tumbling of the coin changers table. There's Maundy Thursday with the Last Supper, the washing of the disciples feet and the great command that we love one another. There's the torturous trial, condemnation and execution of Jesus on Good Friday. There's the waiting between Good Friday and Easter known as the Easter Vigil--the time the church has populated with story telling, music, communion and new fire. There's the celebration of Easter itself with all of the joy, feasting, finery and marvelous singing in honor of our Lord and Savior who couldn't be held down in the grave.
These are days we really want to get right. We have plans and intentions to make commemoration and to bring honor to Jesus. Easter is one of the highest days of church attendance and participation of the entire year. Normally we bring out the musicians and the beautiful paraments throughout the week. On Easter there is brass and lilies and eating and joyous worship. The intimacy of Maundy Thursday is one of the high points of the church year for me. But this year we won't be able to have things just as we would want them. Closed buildings, forced distance and contrived electronic connections just aren't the same. We want to have things come together. We want to look good. We want to roll out the hospitality for our guests. We want to pull off something worthy of God and edifying to all. We won't. Or at least not as we usually do. This year is different. This year's empty tomb will be darkened by the shadow of COVID-19. Some of us might be anxious and want to pull it off regardless through our own strength and machinations and of those we compel to help us (think Martha and Mary). Our anxiety might be flaring. Jesus has a gracious word for us--"Peace be with you". Grace is a healing balm to an anxious soul.
One of my favorite books about the faith is by the author Matt Mikalatos. He wrote My Imaginary Jesus: The Spiritual Adventures of One Man Searching for the Real God. It is a strange and thoughtful and evocative book. It is really hard to summarize it. There is a trailer for the book which you are welcome to watch if you dare. I bring this book up because Chapter 36, "Dinner with the President" manages to capture the anxiety of "Salad Days" with the servant example of Jesus on Maundy Thursday. It will be part of our Maundy Thursday streaming service this year as we have permission from the author to play that chapter from the audio book. I hope you will bring yourself, your whimsy and your curiosity to our service. It will premiere at our MLC Facebook page at 7:00 PM, EST. Please come if you can.
God, anxiety and fear are readily on hand these days. Holy Week seems daunting and perhaps even impossible to do well. Bring your grace, your healing balm, to our anxious and troubled souls. Speak to us again "Peace be with you." Amen.
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