March 10: What a day!

So yesterday, the first Sunday in Lent, was quite a wonderful day for me.

I started the day with Morning Prayer---some time just with me and God.  Always a good way to start the day I find (especially while sharing a fragrant cup of coffee!)

Then I went to church to celebrate the 8 am service---a lovely, intimate service in the Chapel.  Since we are in the season of Lent, we started with the Penitential Order, and we are doing Rite I at this early service.  I started the day with “thees, thous, and thys”---a few tongue twisters and a break away from the known---although still familiar.  Especially wonderful is the Prayer of Humble Access (well, at least, I find it wonderful).  It’s hard to exlain what it does for my heart and soul to speak aloud with others: We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.

Consider that statement for a moment.......trusting in thy manifold and great mercies....Now, that’s something, isn’t it?  To truly live trusting in God’s great mercies.

At 10 am, we started with the Penitential Order, but with Rite II this time.  Kids, and music, and lots of faces of loved ones gathered in one beautiful, prayer-soaked space.  And then ending with these words: God of abundance, you have fed us with the bread of life and cup of salvation; you have united us with Christ and one another.  What a blessing it is to be reminded of the grace we experience every time we gather to share the Lord’s Supper.  

In the evening, I helped lead the Youth Group in a reflective evening of prayer---watching young and old alike move through stations while music played quietly and candles flickered. And then, we ended the night with music that had us clapping and jumping and pumping our fists.

Lastly, at our Evening Worship service---another intimate gathering---we were surrounded by icons and images of God, candles giving off soft light, and beautiful Taize music played by two talented people in the parish.  We sang; we prayed; we practiced Holy Silence; we contemplated and discussed the Word; we shared God’s Peace and Christ himself with one another.  Simply beautiful.

As I reflect on my day, I realize the many wonderfully diverse ways this parish family reveres and worships God.  I know I am probably strange because I love and am enriched by every single way, but I am also so grateful that this parish family allows all these avenues for God’s people to draw near to God.

Blessed beyond all knowing....that’s what I say at the end of this glorious Sunday....blessed beyond all knowing.