Easter and Pentecost

This past week I was able to participate in a virtual Bethany Fellows retreat experience. We usually meet twice a year for a Monday-Friday retreat. And although we had to cancel the in-person retreat, our leadership knew it would still be important and worth it to try and carve out at least some intentional time and space this week to be together in spirit. And they were right.

Worship at Home can take many forms. This week, I offer to you a variety of readings to awaken your soul and soothe whatever may be challenging you. Read them all, or just dwell in one or two of them. There are no rules.

From one among us: “Prayers for the continued kindness to each other as this continues.” 23 people from St. Peter’s have been making calls to the congregation just to check in and stay connected. One caller received these words from one of you, and I believe it’s a lovely way to begin prayer today. For the continued kindness of each other as this continues, we pray…

And yet… if I am honest, I am also more present than I used to be. In moments when I just sit on my porch and look at the sunrise (like Easter morning!), I can feel God’s presence. When I get lost in sidewalk chalk and frisbees and bikes and scooters, I am more aware of the joy that these simple treasures bring. When I allow myself to pay attention to the food that we are preparing, I see the beauty of a cut carrot and the mystery of a raspberry, and I am sometimes stopped in my tracks.

We all have our own traditions around Easter—egg hunts, family lunches, Easter lilies, and meaningful worship. This year, those traditions will not be the same, and yet, we believe that just like every Easter before, the sun will rise, and something will be different.

This year, despite our physical distance, we invite you to carve out some sacred space in the comfort of your own home to recognize the holiness of this day.

This is a simple liturgy for your own personal Easter Sunrise service. Why sunrise? Every year, thousands of people celebrate Easter at sunrise because the women discovered the empty tomb early in the morning, “while it was still dark” (John 20:1). Therefore, we invite and challenge you to be like these brave biblical women, to rise in the dark, to recognize the wilderness, and to watch the sun rise over it.