Easter continues

This week has been a busy one--I just got back from helping my mother after surgery, and I leave on Monday for "Credo," a program offered by the national church for Episcopal clergy. It's centered around vocational discernment and development, and clergy are invited to attend to meet with colleagues from across the country. I'm looking forward to it, sort of. I've just got back from my first trip away from my son, Isaiah, since he was born, and I'm not sure I'm ready to be away from him again quite so soon! And unfortunately it will mean missing another Sunday, so our friend, the Rev. Norm Faramelli will be filling in for me again on May 3. The Rev. Devin McLachlan, rector of Parish of the Messiah in Auburndale, will be on call in case of a pastoral emergency. It will still be our usual kids' service, though--Jonathan Duce will be offering a Godly Play story for everyone and Norm will invite the kids to come up and help celebrate the Eucharist. When I was in Erie, I celebrated the Eucharist at the church where I grew up--kind of surreal, but quite lovely. I was amused to find out that the altar actually IS as big as it looked to me when I was a kid--sitting behind it, I was invisible, and during the Eucharistic prayer I found myself inching up on the tips of my toes at several points. My dad is the deacon there so he preached (I said I was on vacation from preaching...), and it was neat to serve together.

And Easter season continues!
Easter lasts fifty days--it takes us a while to get the message. Some liturgical changes you might have noticed are the usual things--the service music changes with the season (different melodies for the Gloria (Glory to God), Sacntus (Holy, Holy, Holy) and the Anthem at the Breaking of the Bread)--the Eucharistic prayer changes (we're no longer praying for "this fragile earth, our island home" as Prayer "C" of the Book of Common Prayer phrases it-we're on Prayer "A" for Easter, which prays in thanksgiving for Christ, sent to "share our human nature, to live and die as one of us"). There's one bigger change, too, that you've probably noticed. During Easter season, we don't say the confession of sin.

In the early church, there was no general confession of sin at all; the understanding was that the whole action of receiving the Eucharist was absolution enough, and the prayer that consecrated the bread and wine was also a prayer of thanksgiving for God's forgiveness of our sins. Of course, it still is, and so we rest from Lent's focus on our sinfulness and brokenness, and spend the season of Easter just giving thanks with wonderful Easter hymns, blooming Easter flowers, and joy in God's unconditional love for each one of us.

Blessings!

Join the "Christ Church Waltham" group on facebook! [you can also be our "fan," but to be honest I'm less certain about that helps to create community] We'll be able to post pictures and link up with one another online. After you're logged in on facebook, visit http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=189394425594&ref=mf. It's free and anyone can join, so if you don't have an account and you'd like to, you can make one.