Friday's Five

on Saturday

1. Will this Sunday be Palms only, Passion only, or hyphenated?
Palms for sure and the Passion has entered slowly already, but today the joyful entry points to
Good Friday. So, we leave in silence, having taken the symbols out, turning lights off, candles out now ...the wooden Cross has been draped in black.

...they are joyfully brought back on Easter Sunday morning and the Christ candle is lit.
The wooden Cross draped now in white.


2. Maundy Thursday Footwashing: Discuss.
We've had that, but asked people ahead of time. Then we moved to having warm wet towels
and washing each others hands around the circle. We have chairs in our sanctuary so move
them into a circle, or double, if need be. It's darkened and often we gather in the Narthex
where the service begins. It's a moving service, but many stay away...until they venture into
coming then, they plan to come. The foot washing takes a bit of time, but to bring everyone into
it actively we found hand washing was inclusive and meaningful. Hands are strong symbols of
loving, or the opposite. So they are doers and the gentle cleansing of our hands..taken one at a time
by the one next to you. Then dried also. Words may be spoken, or not, then turning to your neighbour,
you offer the same gentle cleansing. People find it very meaningful.


3. Share a particularly meaningful Good Friday worship experience.
All United Churches in a Roman Catholic Church..not enough room in the small United Church next door.
The priest welcomed us warmly and stayed for it. We were a bit longer than expected and his parishoners were waiting. He also said it was too bad he couldn't steal the sermon given by a new United Church minister in town,
who gave it straight and made us think to our toes...then up to the head...then the heart. Then we were to go out and do likewise. A challenge some found too direct, but most took it as a Call to live as the Christ had....in love! You have to remember that Jesus lived a new and strange way. He coloured outside the lines and the established Church Leaders did not like it. It means we are called to "buck" the system ..... so, look out!


4. Easter Sunrise Services--choose one:.....a) "Resurrection tradition par excellence!"
This is a wonderful tradition, but we don't do it. I try to go to a church early that morning that is doing a Sunrise Service. This year there isn't any snow at all, so I wouldn't be in danger of stepping into snow so deep I got caught with one leg in. I had to be pulled out. One church has their's outside by a lake, then goes back to the church for a fish breakfast.

5. Complete this sentence:
It just isn't Easter without...Joyful singing, crowds of people, mind you some only come at Easter & Christmas. It's spring so the air is often fresh with sun shining. Clothes are different...thankfully, not like it used to be. It is so obviously an act of welcoming in new life...in all sorts of aspects. It celebrates our turning around..again..to follow a new way, or in new direction.

Bonus: Any Easter Vigil aficionados out there? Please share.
We used to have one. Had an hourly sign-up sheet. Many took more than that, often the minister took even more. Not very many seemed to take part. It was in our Chapel. On the table there were books, Bibles, that one could read and meditate on. Or one could sit silently in prayer and meditation as well. The stained glass windows from the old church are the windows there and the chapel walls are the stone from the old church, so there's history...
as well as....His-story. Two years we've been without...I miss it.