The Taking of Christ. Caravaggio, 1602.
April 13- Wednesday in Holy Week
Assist us mercifully with your grace, Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the meditation of those mighty acts by which you have promised us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Bishop's Letter
April 13, 2022
Dear People of the Kootenay,
This year, after two years of missing it due to Covid, we are happily able to move back into in-person worship for Holy Week and Easter, to participate in (yes, in modified form, e.g. masked singing!) the familiar rituals which engage us in the central events of our Christian Faith. The palm crosses last Sunday; on Maundy Thursday: the Last Supper with Jesus’ gift of the Eucharist, re-enactment of Foot Washing as a symbol of our call to servanthood, Jesus’ New Commandment “Love one another as I have loved you”; the Stripping of the Altar as a stark reminder of loss and betrayal, darkness and death; Good Friday meditations at the foot of the Cross, Holy Saturday vigils of prayer and waiting in the in-between time; and the Easter dawn in the garden with Mary Magdalene as the astounding shock of the Resurrection takes hold and becomes the joyous cry: Christ is Risen!
However it is you are able to participate in all of these vivid scenes in the life of Jesus, I pray that they connect with the realities of your life personally, in the life of your faith community, and the life of the world. We each have our own experiences of loss and suffering, as well as the fear we feel for the world, with war in Ukraine and climate crises unfolding. I am always grateful that we bring all of our reality to the Cross, to a God who knows human suffering, is present with us, weeps with us, and is at work unseen to bring about new life. Our faith in the God of the Resurrection brings renewed hope and courage to all the real situations of our lives.
I am deeply grateful for all the faithful worship leadership throughout the diocese, clergy and lay people, who have been working hard to provide all of us with meaningful worship: thoughtful sermons and prayers of the people, beauty in music and symbols, art and flowers. Thank you to each of you! May all of this work culminate in fulfilling worship that lifts our spirits and draws us closer to God.
Blessings for an Easter celebration that refreshes your joy, suffuses you with peace, and reinvigorates your hope!
Yours in Christ,
+Lynne