A simple Easter prayer

O God,
you love us.
You want only good things for your children.
But you give us freedom
to make our own decisions,
and our mistakes fill our world
with struggle and pain,
even as they lead us
to acknowledge our need of you.
Jesus showed us by his life and death
how to carry our crosses
with patience, humility, and love.
And so, God, we offer you
all the heavy and difficult things we carry.
We entrust to you our heartaches and hurts,
as well as our hopes and happinesses,
and we offer our lives to you.
Bless those we love,
those we are struggling to love,
and all who really need to feel your love.
Show us how to be your gentle presence
for those who need it most.
Thank you for loving us,
for giving us freedom,
and for walking with us through our calvaries,
into the abundant life
you have promised.

+AMEN.

Holy time

We're coming to one of my favourite weekends of the year, that of Easter. I love it because it is a time of story, ritual, and community, and because Christ chose solidarity with all those who suffer in order to show us what it means to really live. His actions call us to do the same in our lives.

The entire weekend is a grace-filled time in my books, but two ecumenical events stand out for me. The first is the 34th Annual Good Friday Outdoor Way of the Cross that begins at Hope Mission at 10 a.m. Christians from all over will come to be with our inner city brothers and sisters and reflect on the theme, "Be Not Afraid -- Love drives out fear." (1 Jn 4:18). It's threatening to be rainy this year, so I guess we'll be carrying umbrellas on the 1.8 km walk.

The other event is Good Friday Taizé Prayer Around the Cross at 7 p.m. at Providence Renewal Centre (3005 119 St). I love the chapel there, and the meditative music fits the day so well. Praying around the cross with other Christians underlines the importance of Christ's s life for us all no matter our denomination.

Of course, the Easter experience also includes Holy Thursday (today), Saturday's Vigil celebration of the Resurrection, and a whole lot of alleluias on Sunday. Lest you think I'm nothing but a religious nut, I will say that there will also be the fun of egg colouring, a search for chocolate bunnies, and a delicious family barbecue. A blessed Holy time to you all! Here's a lovely footwashing video... Enjoy!

Easter music for a Sunday

The Easter Season lasts until Pentecost, so tonight we'll be having Taizé Easter Prayer at 7 p.m. at St. Luke’s Anglican Church (8424 95 Avenue). All are welcome! It will be our last Taizé prayer until September, and will involve a lot of Easter Alleluias. To whet your appetite, here’s a short video from the Church of Reconciliation in Taizé, of an Easter chant that’s not on tonight’s program, but is still one of my favourites. Happy Sunday!