Today is Holy Thursday. As part of my adding to Lent, I went to the 12:00 service and plan on attending the service this evening. As I sat waiting for the service to begin, I took in the senses of the chapel... the faint scent of burning candle, the whisperings of others, the shoes tapping on the wooden floor, the smoothness of the wooden pew, the presentation of the eucharist draped in white, the vibration of the organ. Knowing the sense of taste would be the bread and the wine (grape juice), I wondered about the senses surrounding the Last Supper. More importantly, I wondered what they were feeling, sensing inside. My feelings typically center around the somberness of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in juxtaposition to the celebration of Easter Sunday. I felt the same way waiting for service to start today.
After (probably during) the service I realized that was indeed the message... service. It wasn't being somber or the holiness of the day; it was doing as Jesus said at that fateful gathering. Love one another. Today is about the suffering He must have felt knowing what was to come. Knowing the desertion and denial, he asked the disciples (us!) to love another. Loving one another means doing service and helping. It means carrying the Spirit.
Loving one another is easy with people I like yet not so easy with others. I am currently reading Anne Lamott's book Grace (Eventually): Thoughts of Faith. She mentions that "Donald Rumsfold is just as innocent in God's eyes as a newborn..." In another sections she explains how God loves Karl Rove and GW Bush." Although I know she is probably correct, I need to love everyone; it is "easier said than done." I guess it's one more thing for me to work on and contemplate. My guess is it's the same for her!
My gratitude list for today:
1) the Spirit
2) church (building and family)
3) helping a friend
My
After (probably during) the service I realized that was indeed the message... service. It wasn't being somber or the holiness of the day; it was doing as Jesus said at that fateful gathering. Love one another. Today is about the suffering He must have felt knowing what was to come. Knowing the desertion and denial, he asked the disciples (us!) to love another. Loving one another means doing service and helping. It means carrying the Spirit.
Loving one another is easy with people I like yet not so easy with others. I am currently reading Anne Lamott's book Grace (Eventually): Thoughts of Faith. She mentions that "Donald Rumsfold is just as innocent in God's eyes as a newborn..." In another sections she explains how God loves Karl Rove and GW Bush." Although I know she is probably correct, I need to love everyone; it is "easier said than done." I guess it's one more thing for me to work on and contemplate. My guess is it's the same for her!
My gratitude list for today:
1) the Spirit
2) church (building and family)
3) helping a friend
My
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