How busy are you during Holy Week?

If your household is anything like mine, every week is a busy week, and it seems like each one is busier than the last. Taking time out of our busy lives to make sense of our faith should be a priority, but so are work schedules, volunteer activities, kids’ and grandkids’ activities, grocery shopping, and spending time with family and friends. Oh, and sleep.

I encourage everyone to come to all the Holy Week services at St Mark’s (see Sunday’s notices for a schedule, or visit www.stmarksottawa.ca). The beauty and power of liturgy cannot be experienced any other way. But I know that may not be a realistic option for everyone.

As a church, we must find ways to keep these practices alive. We cannot afford to lose sight of the importance of this annual journey with Christ. To that end, you may want to check out a website called Faith at Home. Written by an at-home mom and Episcopalian who shares things you can do at home to make this week a meaningful time with Jesus.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll find:

Palm Sunday
Make Easter cards for family and godparents.

Bring palm fronds or palm crosses home from Sunday service; put some palm fronds with the household cross or crucifix, put the palm crosses up in each person’s bedroom, or learn to weave palm fronds into objects to enjoy.

Plant some flowers!

• (and there’s more)

Monday – Thursday
Finish as many household chores and Easter preparations as possible during this time. There is an old tradition of thoroughly cleaning house in the days before sundown on Holy Thursday. Get what you need for the meals of Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Day, so you don’t need to run errands then.

Arrange for Friday and Saturday to be quiet family days, with few or no outside activities scheduled.

Make a special Easter bread now if it will keep until Easter morning. On Holy Thursday, make hot cross buns for Good Friday.

• (and there’s more)

Follow thes links for more tips for Holy Week on the Faith at Home website.

Good Friday   Holy Saturday   Great Vigil   Easter Day

Listen to the Honourary Chair of GIFT speaking at St Mark’s

Mr. Don Newman is the Honorary Chair of Growing in Faith Together. Press the play icon below to listen to Mr Newman’s presentation at St Mark’s this morning.

Busten Halo – fast pray give

http://bustedhalo.com/features/fast-pray-give

Epiphany and the Sundays after

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1.14)

The liturgical year begins with Advent. Then there are 12 days of Christmas, ending with the Epiphany of our Lord on January 6^th.  So, just as the rest of society is celebrating and settling in to a new year, the Church year is already well underway.

Our celebrations revolve around a theological concept called the incarnation, that is: God’s God-ness fully revealed in a particular human being, in a particular place, at a particular point of time. We see echoes of God’s image in all humanity, but only in Jesus of Nazareth do we see the full revelation of God in human form, and humanity fully revealed as a vessel of the divine.

In the weeks that follow the Epiphany the mystery of the incarnation continues to unravel.  Advent has prepared us, Christmas announced the great event. But now we see what it means in the course of human life.

On the first Sunday after the Epiphany, we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. Jesus didn’t need baptism. He didn’t need to be accepted into the household of faith. As a circumcised Jewish man, he was already recognized as one of God’s people. He didn’t need John’s baptism of repentance either. Rather, Jesus’ baptism shows us how we too might recognize one another as children of God, redeemed and restored to wholeness and grace. Jesus goes before us on the way so we can follow.

In the Sundays that follow, Jesus calls and teaches, heals and frees people from the demons that occupy their lives. On the last Sunday after Epiphany, Jesus is transformed before his disciples’ eyes. They see this wonderful man they have been following in a divine light, although understanding seems to elude them as to what this really means.

We have creeds and articles of faith, even whole libraries of theology that speak about this mystery called the incarnation. But the point of all the theology and the liturgy is this: we have seen something that was previously unseen, and it is wonderful to behold.

The Christmas Story

Busted Halo’s 2011 Advent Surprise Calendar

A new twist on an old favorite. And a little easier on the waistline

http://bustedhalo.com/features/advent-calendar-2011

Advent

So, are you ready for Christmas yet?

We ask or get asked that question about a million times over the next few weeks, but the question usually means: have you finished all your shopping, baking, card writing, travel plans…

Just as important are the preparations we make every day and every year to receive Jesus into this world. The church traditions we know and love that help us prepare spiritually are under more and more pressure, more and more competition.

As a church, we must find ways to keep these practices alive. We cannot afford to lose sight of the importance of preparing our hearts, our families and our homes to receive the human face of God. To that end, you may want to check out a website called “Faith at Home,” written by an at-home mom and Episcopalian who shares resources she has found and things you can do at home to make Christmas more meaningful.

Visit http://www.faith-at-home.com/tips/advent.html. You’ll find hints and helps about traditions, music and play. The author, Barbara Laufersweiler, writes about one practice that has helped our family a lot over the years:

One way to counter the letdown of the day after Christmas is to continue the celebration in small ways throughout the 12 days. Leave the Christmas decorations up and the nativity scene in place. Read Christmas stories and continue to enjoy Christmas cookies and music. Use this time to bring gifts to your neighbors and friends, rather than rushing to get everything done before December 25. Help your wise men make their journey around the house to arrive at the manger on Epiphany.

Relax when you can, be quiet as you are able, and prepare as best you can. Advent is about allowing ourselves the space to be ready for the main event, the arrival of the Creator in the creation as one of us.

The Reign of Christ, Matthew 25:31-46

The Community Ministries of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa are one way we are living out this vision of God’s reign on earth. Watch this video, and find more videos from Growing in Faith Together (GiFT) here at the YouTube Channel.