burning like matchsticks in the face of the darkness

None of the usual folk could be there that Thursday, so we had some pinch-hit folks -- who had never attended, so by their own admission they were winging it.  Went fairly well, though.  And it started with a long period of silence, which I had much love for.

( Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. --Matthew 5:8 )

I may have skipped Sunday services, but visitors didn't entirely take priority over usual routine.  Cat came along to Lutheran prayer with some reluctance (she's not Lutheran, though I pointed out I'm not either) but she ended up really enjoying it, for which I was glad.

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One of the chants was:
Where true charity and love abide, God is dwelling there; God is dwelling there.
The Latin has a slightly different repetition:
Ubi caritas et amor, ubi caritas Deus ibi est.

Scripture: John 5:19-29
I find this passage troubling to the idea of Christ=God, and the meditation didn't seem to connect to the Scripture all that much.

Meditation: "The Heart of Christ" from Just Like Jesus by Max Lucado
Blah blah blah, Jesus was wonderful and amazing.
One thing I did like was the idea of being connected but not transformed -- like getting electricity in your house but only using it to turn on your candles at night.
Sidenote: My mom's brother sent her the story recently of the elephant who crossed a river with a flea on its back and when they got to the other side the flea said "We did a great job, didn't we?" and the elephant replied, "What did you do?"  My uncle said that the elephant is Jehovah and we sometimes get a skewed idea of how much control we have over what happens in our lives.

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Evening service through Lent is themed "The Beatitudes of Promise."
March 2: Blessed are They
March 9: The Promise of Comfort
March 16: The Promise of Inheritance
March 23: The Promise of Righteousness
March 30: The Promise of Mercy
April 6: The Promise of Seeing God

You are invited to the Lenten Season at Emmanuel Church

In recent decades the focus of Lent has returned to the significance it had in the early centuries of the church.  Rather than a forty-day reflection on the sufferings and death of Jesus, the purpose of Lent is to lead us to the destination of Easter, when we renew our baptismal vows and celebrate the paschal mystery of Jesus' death and resurrection.  As Lent was originally a season to prepare candidates for baptism, the entire assembly observes these intense weeks dedicated to spiritual formation as it prepares for the paschal feast

[snip]

Sunday Schedule for Lent

The following themes and lessons will be the focus of our Sunday worship services.  We hope that you might read them at home as well, joining us in the discipline of Lenten devotions and prayer.

March 5 - Genesis 9:8-17, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:9-15
March 12 - Genesis 17:1-16, Romans 4:13-25, Mark 8:31-38
March 19 - Exodus 20:10-17, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, John 2:13-22
March 26 - Numbers 21:4-9, Ephesians 2:1-10, John 3:14-21
April 2 - Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 5:5-10, John 12:20-33

[snip]

The Great Vigil of Easter
Saturday, March 15

    At 7:00 in the evening, we will gather around the "new fire" of resurrection in the court year of Grace Episcopal Church and then wait in vigil for the first announcement that, "The Lord is Risen"
    The Easter Vigil is the ancient and powerful celebration of the new creation that springs from Jesus' open tomb.
    The Easter fire, the lighting of the paschal candle, the chanting of the Easter proclamation, the baptismal washing that buries us with Christ and raises us to new life -- all these powerful actions draw us into the wonder of the resurrection.
    As we sit in the darkness we hear the whole story, from the creation through the exodus and the prophets, ending the liturgy with the first taste of resurrection joy.