THE FEAR and JOY of EASTER

As I came into the week from Palm Sunday to Easter Day, I was very perplexed by the concerns and thoughts of our Outside Church Walls group in trying to determine the role of Community inside and outside our churches to provide a faithful future for the Episcopal Church in Western Washington. What steps would be required to begin the journey? There are no easy answers!

Through an all night vigil after our Maundy Thursday service with the washing of feet, stripping of the Altar and the black draping of the Cross, it came to me that maybe we should be listening to the voices, concerns and prayers of all concerned (the same way that Scrooge in the Christmas stories had to listen to the ghosts of Christmas’ past, present and future) OH MY!

I found fear and joy in a Good Friday prayer this is used for Renewal of Baptismal Vows and Ordinations (Book of Common Prayer, pg 280).

“Let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by Him through whom all things were made, your son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”

While this prayer is poetry and vision, it is also very risky. Oh God please look out for Your Church, not ours, but Yours. Fear and Joy!

The voices of Easter 2014 that spoke to me are:

Scott Gunn (FDxD)

”We can’t soften what Jesus Christ did on Maundy Thursday we must do as He commanded, wash feet, be vulnerable, all pride is tripped away and out Christian charity is laid bare.” Fear and Joy!

Greg Rhodes (4/14/14 OCW)

 “OCW and the Episcopal Church need to make mistakes through action-not inaction. We will make mistakes, but we are already doing that by lost opportunity and inaction. Take a risk, dare, be uncertain, nervous and hopeful. Build action momentum in your congregations and offer it all to God with Fear and Joy.”

Sara Monroe (4/9/14 OCW)

“Good Friday is important in a world like ours. Where American religion is warm and fuzzy and we want to skip the sorrow of Good Friday and go right into Easter. The stripping of the Altar, vigil and walking the Stations of the Cross were incredibly powerful to me. In my life of working with the homeless, they simply have no place to name it in a world drunk with unjust and Good Friday is a place to name the injustice of it all.” Fear and Joy!

Presiding Bishop Katherine Jeffers Schori (message Easter Day 2014) 

“Where and how will be look for the Body of Christ, risen and rising? Will we share the life of that Body as an Easter People, transformed by resurrection, and sent to transform the world in turn?” Fear and Joy!

Our own Bishop Greg in his “Easter Message” states that we must feel, pray and love for all of the peoples whose are hearts are down and saddened this Easter Season by saying “Alleluia” for them. Amen. Fear and Love.

Fr. Dick Loop (Vicar of St. Peter’s, Seaview, WA) in his Easter message 2014, spoke of Mary Magdalene and the Other Mary who went to see “The Tomb” full of fear and joy. They ran, they moved, and went to tell the Deciples. They took action and so must we.

Full of the fear and the joy of Easter...MOVE, RISK, DARE and take ACTIONS to tell all “HE HAS RISEN INDEED”!

Chuck