The Mainline Minister

He Is Risen! In past years, I have sent the Scripture story of the Resurrection as my last reflection of the season.  Today, I'm going to do that, but not just yet.  I would ask first that we reflect on the amazing thing that God has done in Jesus Christ.  His life, his being raised from the dead.  Jesus Christ is the center of our faith, a faith that proclaims the triumph of hope, goodness and life.  In this season of coronavirus we might lose sight of that fact.  And though it might seem trite or like fodder for a meme, Jesus is bigger than a virus.  That doesn't mean we should ignore medical experts, far from it.  God gave us brains, after all.  But as we look to gain some perspective, as our present crisis goes from acute to chronic, as we adjust to living with the inconveniences and dislocation, we should remember that God's world is good . My hope, my prayer, is that during this time of resurrection, we as a society will be inspired by Jesus to re

This morning when I woke up, it was sunny with a light breeze blowing.  There were a few clouds on the horizon, but they seemed to be there to offer a visual contrast, rather than portend threatening weather.  All was calm, all was quiet.  My thoughts turned immediately to the very stormy night I spent aboard a friend's sail boat moored in the waters of the Penobscot Bay.  It was everything one imagined.  The boat rocked, the wind howled, the hull's wooden planks creaked (or at least they did in my recollection). The space belowdecks was not exactly cavernous. But we were warm, dry, protected from the storm.  Roger had piloted the Blue Goose to a protected cove, so we could have some protection from the raging storm.  While I was grateful for and confident in his seamanship, I wanted nothing more than for that night to be over.  And ultimately it was. We awoke in the morning to clear skies and calm seas.  The storm had broken.  I don't recall the spe

We have arrived at Good Friday, the darkest day of the Christian year.  The day when hope was quashed, light was put out, death triumphed, Jesus went to the Cross.  Though we know how this story will ultimately end, it is important for us to now focus on all that has gone wrong, all that can go wrong, in our lives and the lives of others, whether by accident, circumstance, bad choices, or, yes, the perpetuation of human evil. Spend some time today imagining you are at the cross, helpless to aid Jesus in his final hours.  How do you feel? What would you do?  Be honest - there is no right answer, only a faithful one. And on this day, we surely need faith.

Today marks the start of the Triduum, the three holy days leading up to Easter, and commences with the Maundy Thursday liturgy, which we traditionally say in the evening.  Of course, this year is unlike other years, and we recorded the liturgy at church yesterday, in the afternoon, before taking a break to record the Good Friday service.  But fear not, we'll have a live Maundy Thursday service this evening.  Are you now confused?  I know I am.  Services are being celebrated on days not assigned by the liturgical calendar, all sorts of things are being moved around, and people (i.e., me) are tired. But I'm not complaining.  Really.  All of the days on the liturgical calendar will still take place at their appointed times.  We will still celebrate Easter on Sunday morning.   Which means we still have a few days left for Lenten reflection and repentance.  Our current situation, as troubling as it may be, still pales when compared with the great gift of Easter. 

Whimsy is probably the first word one associates with the Lenten season, so bear with me.  Last night, I saw that WQXR, the classical station in New York, was hosting a livestream of pianist Jeremy Dank, playing excerpts from and commenting on Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier.  Dank played like the consumate pro he is and while at it looked sideways directly into the camera to talk with his viewers.  It was quite a performance.  Skilled, charming, whimsical, just what the proverbial doctor ordered during this weird time, this wholly unusual Lent. It occurred to me during this season, that I'm seeing and connecting with people in many ways.  I participated in a Lenten roundtable discussion about the Resurrection in the morning, offering a needed reminder of the great thing that God does for us through Jesus, later I waved to parishioner driving by my house; he honked, and I felt a welcome sense of the familiar and normal.  I talked with another congregant who ca

Today is Tuesday of Holy Week, a normally quiet moment during these last days of the Lenten season.  But this year, things are different.  I'm participating in a zoom roundtable this afternoon, and I have Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter services and sermons to get done.  Thanks to the technology we can bring worship to people in their homes - and that's good.  But it's a lot of work!  And it can't be pushed off to Friday or Saturday, since we have to meet deadlines for the post office (not everyone is online, so we mail things to them).  So it's not quiet.  Not at all. Now, I'm not complaining.  I'm blessed to have work.  I'm blessed to be doing something I find meaningful.  I'm blessed to have all of you in my life. So, I'll take a moment to pause, to reflect, to give thanks.  I hope as busy or as quiet as your day is, you, too, will find a moment to offer gratitude to the God who came to us in Jesus Christ.

How are you on this sunny, at least in Northern NH, Monday?  More to the point, how are you on this Monday of Holy Week?  I will hazard the guess that the coronavirus outbreak is making this a weird, unusual, and potentially stressful Lent.  You may be feeling anxiety, boredom, fear, grief, anger. I hope that you will also feel gratitude. Gratitude for God's good creation. Gratitude for family and friends. Gratitude for unseen and unknown blessings. Gratitude for the unearned love and grace of God that supports and surrounds us during times of trouble and need, that at this very moment is seeking out each of us. Let us give thanks to God for all of the gifts, large and small, in our lives, and let us ask forgiveness for all too often forgetting to say 'thank you'.

Today, we begin Holy Week.  The excitement is palpable as Jesus makes his entry into Jerusalem, we can hear the crowds cheering, see the palm fronds waving, sense that something big is about to happen. Well, something big did happen.  It just wasn't anything like what people expected.  That surely will be the motif for this year's Holy Week, as we celebrate and commemorate in new, strange ways.  We are entering the heart of the Christian year, but doing so differently, with some confusion, some ignorance, but hopefully a belief that the God we know in Jesus is with us every step of the way, even if we take a new route to our destination.

It's Saturday morning and I'm confused.  I know there have been a lot "what day is it?" jokes lately, but I think I have stronger grounds for feeling lost.  You see, yesterday we recorded tomorrow's Palm Sunday service.  That's right.  Holy Week started early for me.  But then it will take place right on schedule, too, as we have a live zoom service.  If ever I've felt cognitive dissonance, this Lent, and especially this Holy Week, is the time. Schedule have been upended.  Work patterns redrawn.  Meeting formats changed.  Yet what am I complaining about?  I do not in any way, shape, or form mean to diminish the awfulness of what we're experiencing, but, all told, I have no reason to complain.  I have food.  I have the internet.  I have books.  Most important, everyone in my family is safe and well.  If the worst I have to endure is jarring inconvenience, I can do that.  With God's help, we all can. During these final days of L

It's gloomy today.  Rainy, cold, just plain blah.  But it could be worse.  The forecast had originally called for a wintry mix.  I don't know about you, but I'm done with snow for this year.  I'm looking forward to sunshine and warm temperatures, all the things that come with spring and summer.  It's all about perspective, I guess.  Keeping our eyes focused on what matters, and not on the latest distraction or nuisance, is key to navigating Lent.  It's also important to dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. While it's okay to be annoyed or scared, I don't think we are helped much by panic or unbridled fear. Then we get lost in the morass of our sin, we contribute to the problems surrounding our current health crisis. The rain will pass.  Lent will end.  The coronavirus will fade.  We will move forward, with God's help.

"The Cruelest Month" Perhaps you recognize this reference.  It's a description of April from "The Waste Land", by T.S. Eliot.  Eliot's poem, written in the aftermath of the First World War, noted the irony of spring, with its new life, in them midst of a broken Europe, lately consumed in a once unimaginable conflict.  These words resonate today in a way they have not my entire life. I remember studying Eliot in school, but it's funny how snippets from a long ago education can resurface later in life.  Sometimes these appearances are totally random, other times they are eerily appropriate.  As we saw his mornings unemployment numbers, some 6.6 million added to the rolls, far eclipsing last weeks already ghastly figures of more than 3 million, we would do well to remember the cruelty of this month, as jobs are lost, careers mourned, fears for the future mount.  These statistics represent real people, someone you or I know, perhaps y

Today is April Fool's Day.  This year, I suspect their won't be as much laughter as there has been in times past.  Humor is a very tricky thing during a pandemic.  But mirth is still part of life.  We still need to smile, to indulge in a little levity.  Otherwise, we won't be able to bear the burdens of the moment. So I'll remind you of an old joke. Bobby was asked if knew what Easter was about.  He eagerly nodded "yes" and began to tell the tale. "Jesus died and was buried in a cave ..." His teacher was pleased. "... And then after three days he came out ..." His teacher was proud of her student. "... And if he saw his shadow it meant six more weeks of winter." Okay, feel free to groan now.  But I hope I was able to take your mind off of things you can't control.  During Lent, during these last days of the penitential season, let us ask for God's forgiveness for failing to se