So Lent starts on Wed. Are you doing anything to mark Lent this year?
More than a decade and a half ago I had the privilege of taking a ten day tour to the Holy Land. It included Galilee, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, as well as several days in Jordan. It was an incredible life changing experience that has affected both my ministry and my preaching. I am glad I was able to go.
One of the most significant and moving moments was the time we spent in Jerusalem.
Three specific sites stand out for me and I was grateful that I was able to enter holy space, even for a short time.
Dying, We Live
Easter Sermon, March 31 2013
Preached by Rev. James Murray at Dominion-Chalmers United Church
When I was growing up, one of my favourite Easter hymns was “All things bright and beautiful”
“Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings,
he made their glowing colors, he made their tiny wings.
All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
Easter is a more important occasion in the Church than is Christmas. Why did the Church not pick up on this and if the church had, maybe the secular world would.
But then we would have Easter Trees, Easter Presents, Easter stocking hung on the air conditioner with care hoping the Easter Bunny would be there.
How do we as church goers change the attitude between Christmas and Easter? Or is it a non-issue?
Moderator Gary Paterson asks people to put on "Resurrection glasses" to see the events of our lives in new ways. Watch the video here or on YouTube , or download a version you can share with your church from united-church.ca.
Every year , I ask and every year I get conflicting answers.
What are your traditions that your church uses for lent.
Do you have Lenten Triad, do you not sing Hallelujas, do you use 5 purple, 1 pink and 1 one whie candle or do you use blue. Do you use Purplr banners, and pulpit hangings.
What do you do on Maundy Thursday,
What traditions do you have on Easter Sunday.
This will be an interesting conversation, I think.
Mark Andrew Alward is a writer who attends Grand River Unitarian Congregation in Kitchener, Ontario. He comes from an evangelical background and blogs at The Loving Room.
I arrived home from Kootenay presbytery at midnight last night, bursting with resurrection soul-energy for God’s wonderful world and wonderful church. The packed choir loft of Kimberley United Church in Kimberley B.C. yesterday couldn’t contain the harmonies of trumpet and voice in singing and playing What a Wonderful World (music and lyrics by Weiss and Thiele, arranged by Russ Robinson.)
Well, as I was telling Pinga, in another place, I went to a service at a United Church close to where I
live. It is a Tri=parrish- Lutheran, Anglican, and United. The United rent space and do not own any part of the building. They are also Affirming in the midst of two other denominations who are not.
The Service was different for an Easter Sunday. 3 baptisms where the families each gave a testimony as to why they were having their child baptised in this particular church and why they were having their child baptised period.
Happy Easter everyone! Hallelujah, Christ is risen! Many blessings to all today.
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