Sailors & Yard Work: 4th Monday in Easter, 2012

Yes, I know. This is the time of the year when even we boaters put in time around land - putting in gardens, trimming bushes, pruning trees and what not. It is not as if both activities are not inter-related. It is just that some of us who live aboard our boats have yards (or for you English "gardens") of water with no need to push a lawn-mower.

Still, at this time of year, we find ourselves joining together in a larger project. For those of us at the Semiahmoo Marina this has meant that we were involved this past Saturday in cleaning up the marina in preparation for this coming weekend's Blessing of the Fleet and Opening Day (of the boating season - some of us have been boating all winter, much to the envy of some of the rest of us, no?)

So as I was pruning back a lot of evergreen bushes to help prepare the parking lot to be resurfaced at a later date, I got to praying that God would prune me, too. I can't help it. I'm a pastor. This is the Easter season. I know that pruning leads to growth and it seemed an appropriate time to make such a prayer.

Little did I know that this coming Sunday's (May 6, 5th Sunday in Easter's) text was John 15:1-8 about Jesus the True Vine and belonging the vine, and pruning so that we might bear much good fruit.

Where are you finding yourself bear good fruit? Helping others with a rigging detail? Changing to LED lights? Being supportive of a friend in his/her time of grief? Setting out "old" to you gear in front of the dumpster so another might find a "new" piece of equipment? Being an encouraging part of the community?

Blessed Be

Joel

Paschal Mystery: 3rd Monday in Easter, 2012

During this time of Easter-tide, this season of Easter, we celebrate the Paschal Mystery: Christ's death and Resurrection. And isn't the "secret of life" contained in this - is not this the mystery that permeates all life?

In order to come to fuller life and spirit we must constantly be letting go of present life and spirit.*

In writing about the Paschal Mystery, Ronald Rolheiser* makes a few distinctions that I also feel are important before exploring the Paschal Mystery further.
First, there are two different kinds of death (terminal and paschal). Terminal death ends life and ends possibilities. A paschal death ends one type of life while opening "the person undergoing it to receive a deeper and richer form of life." Both types of death are real, and I might add that one doesn't have to die physically to experience either or both.
Second, just as there are two types of death, there are two types of life (resuscitated and resurrected). Resuscitated life is when one is returned to one's former life and health (Jesus raising Lazarus in John's gospel is an example). Resurrected life "is not a restoration of one's old life but the reception of a radically new life."
Third, Rolheiser distinguishes between life and spirit. "They are not the same thing and are often given to us at a different time. For example, after the resurrection of Jesus, the disciples are given the new life of Christ, but only some time after, at Pentecost, are they given the spirit for the new life that they are already living. ... We live by both life and spirit and our peace of soul depends upon us having a happy synthesis between the two."

So, the pascal mystery is about a paschal death, about resurrected life, and about the synthesis between life and spirit. Rolheiser presents five movements withing the paschal cycle:

The paschal mystery ... is a process of transformation within which we are given both a new life and new spirit. It begins with suffering and death, moves on to the reception of new life, spends some time grieving the old and adjusting to the new, and finally, only after the old life has been truly let go of, is new spirit given for the life we are already living.
     We see all of this, first, in the great mystery of Jesus' own passover from death to life.
     Theologically, looking at Jesus' teachings and especially at his death and resurrection and what follows from them, we can see that there are five clear, distinct moments within the paschal cycle: Good Friday, Easter Sunday, the forty days leading up to the Ascension, the Ascension, and Pentecost. Each of these is part of a single process, an organic one, and each needs to be understood in relation to the others to make sense of the paschal mystery. Each is part of one process of transformation, of dying and letting go as to receive new life and new spirit.

Rolheiser diagrams the paschal cycle as such:

1. Good Friday: "the loss of life - real death" ("Name your deaths")
2. Easter Sunday: "the reception of new life" ("Claim your births")
3. The Forty Days: "a time for readjustment to the new and for grieving the old" ("Grieve what you have lost and adjust to the new reality")
4. Ascension: "letting go of the old and letting is bless you, the refusal to cling" ("Do not cling to the old, let is ascend and give you its blessing")
5. Pentecost: "the reception of new spirit for the new life that one is already living" ("Accept the spirit of the life that you are in fact living")

This cycle is not something that we undergo just once as our physical life ends, but a process we are called upon to undergo again and again through out life. We start a new job, we find ourselves laid off, we move aboard a boat, we face an illness, we are diagnosed with a disability are all examples of ways in which the paschal mystery can speak to us and call us forth into a resurrected life.

During this season of resurrection - when we watch the buds form on the trees, and new life shoot from the ground - may we, too, find our lives inviting us forth into Resurrection. May we also, as we await the Ascension and Pentecost, refuse to cling to the old, and prepare for the new spirit awaiting us.

Blessed Be

Joel


_________
* All quotes are from Ronald Rolheiser. The Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality. Doubleday, 1999. Pages 146 and following. During the rest of this chapter, Rolheiser examines five examples of how the paschal mystery applies to daily life.

Bottom Paint: Earth Day, 2012

Happy Earth Day.

With spring here, many people are working upon their boats, getting everything ready for the summer boating season. Part of this often involves hauling out the boat and applying bottom paint to keep the growth off the bottom of the boat. While I and my family want to keep the growth off the bottom of our own boat, we are also concerned about the environment - God's creation. Is there a way to do both?

It was about a year ago that we hauled out and painted the bottom. Part of the process involved trying to figure out what the bottom had been painted with before, so that we added something compatible. No sense in putting a hard bottom paint on an ablative, we'd just go sailing to have the hard (new) paint ablative off with what was used before. The other alternative would be to strip off all the old paint and then but something new on (in which case we could use what we wanted). We (us and the boat yard) were fairly certain that what had been used before was an ablative paint, so that's what we used again. (An ablative paint slowly comes off as one moves the boat through the water exposing fresh paint and allowing the fouled paint to fall off.)

Once any item is left in a salt water environment it quickly becomes covered in "scum." "Scum" is my "scientific" word for all the tiny miro-organisms that quickly attach themselves to the smooth surface. But it is not long before muscles and barnacles and various forms of weed are growing upon the item. One winter, we forgot to take the milk-jug bailer out of the dinghy when we turned her over on the dock, with the result that the bailer was hanging by it's string into the water all winter long. The next spring, there was an entire colony of sea life growing on, in and around the bailer. We ended up leaving it there (attaching the string to the dock rather than the dinghy) for the kids to look at all summer - their own underwater aquarium.

The problem is when all of this is attached to the boat, the boat struggles to go anywhere. On large supertankers, the fuel bills go up (not to mention the green house gases) and on a sailboat it can mean one has a hard time sailing.

Hence, painting the bottom of the boat with something to keep the critters at bay. What kind of paint/bottom does one use to keep the fouling at bay? I'm not sure there is a perfect paint mixture, in terms of being safe for the environment, effective, and user friendly.

Over concern about copper levels in the Puget Sound, Washington State passed a bill prohibiting the sale of any new boats treated with copper-based bottom paint effective January, 2018. Effective 2020, no paints containing more than 0.5 percent copper can be used on old or new boats. (The law applies only to recreational vessels up to 65 feet in length.)

The problem, as I see it, is that many of the non-copper paints tend to use biocides which I'm not convinced are better for the environment.

In the mix of this personal conundrum, I ran across the following 3 web-page article by Jill Dickin Schinas "The Search for an Effective and Environmentally-Safe Antifouling" (12 April 2012). (Links to the articles here:)

The Search for an Effective and Environmentally-Safe Antifouling (page 1)
The Search for an Effective and Environmentally-Safe Antifouling (page 2)
The Search for an Effective and Environmentally-Safe Antifouling (page 3)

What I appreciate from the Mollymawk site is that they speak not only from a theoretical perspective, but from their own experience, too.

I'm still not sure what the answer is, perhaps you have some insights to share?


Blessed Be


Joel

Psalm of the Ressurrection - 2nd Monday in Easter, 2012

On this second Monday in the Easter season, here is another poem by Rev. Edward Hays (Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim).

May you continue to find Resurrection abounding around you.

Blessed Be.

Joel

A Psalm of the Resurrection

Before dawn,
     the great Seder celebration having passed,
     his empty cross awaiting death's next meal,
     into the darkness of his lifeless body
     the finger of God's Spirit
     stirred in slowly spiraling circles
     as once it had moved
     over the deep and empty waters
     about to be pregnant with creation.

From the blast of the birthing
     of ten thousand galaxies,
     Jesus, son of Joseph and Mary
     and son of God,
     exploded outward from his tomb
     in radiant light and love
     to fill the earth and the whole cosmos
     with the fullness of divine life.

Paul of Tarsus penned it well
     in a letter to Ephesian firends:
     "God has put all things under Christ's feet
     and made him head of the Church, his body:
     the fullness of him
     who fills the universe in all its parts."

I look up into the Easter sky,
     beyond the limits of this small galaxy -
     far beyond the boundaries of my mind -
     into the billions of galaxies that glow
     like flaming Easter flowers
     filling the garden of the universe.

Light travels 5,787 trillion miles a year;
     and to cross, just once at the speed of light,
     this universe whose every starry body
     contains the fullness of the Risen Christ
     would take all of twenty billion years.

Oh, beyond comprehension,
     too vast for my little mind,
     is the mystery of the Resurrection,
     is the wonder of the Easter nighttime sky,
     the body of the Risen Christ,
     the whole and holy Church to which I belong.

Easter Monday, 2012

The following is a poem from Ronald Rolheiser* about Mary Magdala meeting Jesus in the garden on Easter Morning (see John's account).

Blessings of Resurrection this Easter Season.

Joel

Mary Magdala's Easter Prayer

I never suspected
   Resurrection
       and to be so painful
to leave me weeping
With joy
       to have met you, alive and smiling, outside an empty
   tomb
With regret
not because I've lost you
but because I've lost you in how I had you -
   in understandable, touchable, kissable, clingable
       flesh
       not as fully Lord, but as graspably human.

I want to cling, despite your protest
   cling to your body
cling to your, and my, clingable humanity
cling to what we had, our past.

But I know that ... if I cling
you cannot ascend and
I will be left clinging to your former self
... unable to receive your present spirit.

___
* Ronald Rolheiser, "Mary Magdala's Easter Prayer," in Forgotten Among the Lilies, p. 176 - appearing also in The Holy Longing, p. 166.

Easter Sunday, 2012

Happy Easter!

Invitation to Worship

L: Alleluia! Praise be to God! Christ has risen indeed.

P: We bring our joyful alleluias to this place today!

L: The tomb is empty, and new life hovers in this dawn.

P: We praise God for the mystery and the excitement of new life present in this day!

Hymn                    “Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise” #312

Opening Prayer: 

This is the day, Lord God, that you have made! Raising Christ from the dead, and raising us with Christ, you have fashioned for yourself a new people, washed in the flood of baptism, sealed with the gift of the Spirit, invited to the banquet of the Lamb! In the beauty of this Easter morning, set our minds on the new life to which you have called us; place on our lips the words of witness for which you have anointed us. We ask this through our risen Savior, Christ the Lord. Amen.

EASTER ACCOUNTS – “ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK…”

(Note that these accounts are arranged in probable chronological order.)

The First Account: ~70 CE

Words at the Tomb........................................................................................... Mark 16:1-8a

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

HYMN: Christ is Alive (v. 1-3)...................................................................................................................... #318

The First Account, Ammended

Continuation ............................................................................................... Mark 16:8b-20

And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out thorugh them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation fo eternal salavation

Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were still mourning and weekping. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

After this he appared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

Later he appared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not blieved those who saw him after had had been risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who blieves and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not beliveve will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of god. Andy they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confimred the message by the signs that accompanied it.

HYMN: Christ is Alive (vs 4-5)...................................................................................................................... #318

Another Account: ~80-95 CE

Words at the Tomb...................................................................................... Matthew 28:1-10

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go Quickly and tell his disicples, ‘for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him,” This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

HYMN: Easter People, Raise Your Voices.............................................................................................................. #304

Another Account: ~85 CE

At the Tomb................................................................................................... Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came tot eh tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third ay rise again.” They the remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother o James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

HYMN: Christ the Lord is Risen Today (vs. 1-2)..................................................................................................................... # 302

Two More Accounts: ~ 85 CE

Walking on the Road.......................................................................................... Luke 24:13-35

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded u. They were in the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them all the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which thy were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and retuned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how the had been made known to them in the braking of the bread.”

HYMN: On the Day of Resurrection............................................................................................................... #309

Yet Another Account: ~85 CE

While they were talking................................................................................ Luke 24: 36-53

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

HYMN: Christ the Lord is Risen Today (vs. 3-4)..................................................................................................................... # 302

Another Account: ~80-90 CE

In the Garden  .................................................................................................... John 20:1-18

Early on the frist day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have take the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together; but the other disiciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings laying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings laying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not laying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

            But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” she turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

HYMN: In the Garden (v. 1) ..................................................................................... # 314

Another Account: ~80-90 CE

Evening of the First Day ................................................................................. John 20:19-23

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

HYMN: Christ the Lord is Risen Today (vs. 3-4) .................................................... # 302

Silent Reflection (or Your Account 2012)

HYMN: He Lives .............................................................................................................. # 310

Benediction:

Hear the Good News – The tomb is empty – Christ has been Raised from the dead. Alleluia, Alleluia.

Go in Peace and Celebration to share the Good News that has happened to us this day!

Go in Peace and with the Spirit as you Love and Serve the Risen Lord.

Amen.

A Service of Tenebrae: Good Friday, 2012

This service of Tenebrae is usually done as darkness falls (in the evening) or after it is dark. Candles are lit, and then extinguished as each reading is read. You will need seven candles. People depart in the dark - and by tradition, there is no benediction until the Easter morning service.
May you continue to be blessed by God's movement in your lives over these Holy Days.

Joel

CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER 

      (I have often started with a Lord's Supper communion service for those interested prior to the service starting.)

PRELUDE

CALL TO WORSHIP/INVOCATION

O God, by the example of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, you taught us the greatness of true humility, and call us to watch with him in his passion. Give us grace to serve one another in all lowliness, and to enter into the fellowship of his suffering; in his name and for his suffering; in his name and for his sake. Amen.

                                                                        W. E. Orchard, England, 20^th Cent. Alt.

HYMN: O Love Divine, What Hast Thou Done.................................................................... # 287

TENEBRAE – THE SERVICE OF SHADOWS

Introduction

The Darkness of Misunderstanding

Words in the Temple....................................................................................... Mark 11:15-18

Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written,

‘My house shall be called a house of prayer

for all the nations’?

But you have made it a den of robbers.”

And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching.

HYMN: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (vs 1, 2 & 4)........................................ #626

The Darkness of Betrayal

Words in the Upper Room........................................................................ Matthew 26:20-28

When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

CHOIR: Adoramus Te Christe

The Darkness of Temptation

Words in the Garden............................................................................... Matthew 26:36-46

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” And going a little further, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trail; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See my betrayer is at hand.”

HYMN: Go to Dark Gethsemane (vs 1 & 2)......................................................... #290

The Darkness of Injustice

Words of the Trail...................................................................................... Mark 14:55-64

Now the Chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” But even on this point their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I am; and

‘you will see the Son of Man

seated at the right hand of the Power,’

and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’”

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death.

HYMN: Ah, Holy Jesus (vs 1 & 2)........................................................................... # 289

The Darkness of Denial

Words of the Courtyard................................................................................ Mark 14:66-72

While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she started at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”  But he denied it, saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for  you are a Galilean.” But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

HYMN: What Wondrous Love Is This (vs 1, 2 & 3)........................................... #292

The Darkness of Rejection

Words Before Pilate.................................................................................. Luke 23:13-24

Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.”

Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Baraabas for us!” (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted.

CHOIR: WHEN JESUS WEPT

The Darkness of Crucifixion

Words on the Cross.................................................................................... Luke 23:33-46

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “he saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned to justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.

 

CHOIR & CONGREGATION: Were You There................................................... #288

Maundy Thursday, Lent 2012

Tonight celebrates the Passover Meal at which Jesus also "initiates" the Lord's Supper / Communion / Eucharist (according to Matthew, Mark and Luke) and at which Jesus washes his disciples' feet (according to John). Below is a service that comes from the United Methodist Book of Worship. May it be a moving event for you.

For a reflection upon Holy Week in general, and Maundy Thursday in particular, here is a past posting.

       (Hymn numbers refer to the United Methodist Hymnal)

A Maundy Thursday Service

Greeting:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you

And also with you.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Christ has prepared a Feast of Love.

Hymn What Wondrous Love Is This ....................................... #292

Opening Prayer

O God; by the example of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, you taught us the greatness of true humility, and call us to watch with him in his passion. Give us grace to serve one another in all lowliness, and to enter into the fellowship of his suffering; in his name and for his suffering; in his name and for his sake. Amen.

(W.E. Ochard, England, 20^th Cent. Alt)

Confession and Pardon

My sisters and brothers, Christ shows us his love by becoming a humble servant. Let us draw near to God and confess our sin in the truth of God’s Spirit.

Most merciful God, we your Church confess that often our spirit has not been that of Christ. Where we have failed to love one another as he loves us, where we have pledged loyalty to him with our lips and then betrayed, deserted, or denied him, forgive us, we pray; and by our Spirit make us faithful in every time of trail; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ. But Christ suffered and died for us, was raised form the dad and ascended into heaven for us, and continues to interceded for us. Believe the good news: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

In the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven!

Glory to God. Amen.

Scripture Lessons:

Exodus 12:1-14 ; Psalm 116 ; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ; John 13:1-17; 31b-35

Prayers and the Lord’s Prayer / Our Father

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name,

Your kingdom come

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

As we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trail,

And deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours.

Now and for ever. Amen.

Communion / Eucharist / Love Feast

(Now is the time to celebrate the Eucharist. If you don’t have a clergy person present, one could celebrate a Love Feast instead.)

Hymn  Jesu, Jesu  .......................................................   # 432

Footwashing

(The first person comes forward and washes the feet of the next person, who turns and washes the feet of the next person, the last person will wash the feet of the first.)

Stripping the Church (or alter area on your boat, if you so desire)

Benediction

Go in peace. May Jesus Christ, who for our sake became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, keep you and strengthen you this night and for ever. Amen.

Depart in Silence

Book Review: Frank Mulville's Single-handed Sailing

With the weather warming up and the days getting longer in the northern hemisphere, many are starting to think about the sailing season. I sure am. So, it's time for another book review and pondering some other projects for the list.

Single-handed Sailing is not just a book for the single-hander, although written for single-handers. What do I mean by that? Most sailing is done by small crews - usually a couple. This means that most watches are taken with one person on watch. Why not set the boat up to single-hand? That way, the watch keeper doesn't need to wake the off watch person (who might be sleeping) to take care of a sail change, change course, or what have you.

Frank Mulville and Iskra (his 28' gaff-cutter) have appeared in Cruising World, Yatching Monthly, Practical Boat Owner and other sailing magazines. In addition, Mulville has written Terschelling Sands, In Granma's Wake; Girl Stella's Voyage to Cuba, Rustler on the Beach, Schooner Integrity, and Dear Dolphin. Single-handed Sailing was first published in 1981 (2nd edition in 1990), and republished in 1994. He and Iskra have completed six (or more) solo Atlantic crossings, a voyage to Norway and around Iceland.

Single-handed Sailing is of the old school (pre-GPS for instance) but full of sensible advice none-the-less. Mulville comes from the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Sailor) line of thought. His advice runs from the importance of staying aboard the boat (and how to do so), wind-vane self-steering, supplies to carry, storm tactics, maneuvering and anchoring, trade-wind sailing and even which rig to choose.

As an example: he insists that the single-handed sailor who falls overboard is done for, so make sure one doesn't fall overboard by wearing your harness when ever on deck, and making sure you are clipped aboard. He shows how to choose a harness and tether (he prefers a single tether with two hooks at 3' and 8') and rig jack-lines. For jack-lines, he prefers stainless steel running at shoulder height above the lifelines. That way the sailor who falls overboard, will be swung along behind the boat, where he can reach the lanyard rigged to the wind-vane. After pulling the wind-vane lanyard the boat heads up into the wind, and he can climb back aboard on the wind-vane mounting tubing. Try this out before departing, he warns, with another crew member aboard to help if needed. He even mentions that the single-hander will soon learn to use the harness and tether as another "pair of hands" to balance while working on deck.

 In addition, he has wonderful poetry-prose like the following.

After many days alone the single-hander may feel himself so much a part of the environment he finds himself in, so attuned to the changing moods and humours of the ocean, that he may not wish to interfere with its inhabitants. He himself is tolerated, even treated as a friend by the creatures with whom he shares his life. They all in their way contribute to his well-being - the flashing beauty of the flying fish, the grace and elegance of the dolphin, the deadly power of the shark, the ponderous and dignified bulk of the whale, the hurried, busy flight of the storm petrel or the deft, competent mastery of the gull as it endlessly plays the currents and eddies around the yacht - all serve to draw the single-hander closer to his surroundings. It is his ability to identify with the ocean and to become a part of its life which makes it possible for him, unlike any other creature, to survive and flourish in the ocean by himself. The substance of his existence is dependent as much on his state of mind as on his bodily health - the one is a much a part of his well-being as the other. He is a wise and generous man who passes across the ocean in peace, respecting the lives of his fellow wayfarers (160).

I know that some do not like the twin-headsail rig for sailing down the trade winds. But if one wants to give this rig a try, Mulville provides the means to do so.

He is also an advocate about two things with your mainsail that might be worth talking to your sail maker about. 1. Use a miter cut in the main, with a loose foot, to allow a significant roach at both leech and foot without the need for battens. 2. If using a bermudian/marconi rig, a down-haul on the main might make it capable to reefing while running downwind in a heavy wind. Mulville, himself, advocates the gaff rig.

All in all, I think the book is worth reading for the single-hander of a couple getting ready to set sail. I know that I gleaned pieces of information and "food for thought" by reading Single-handed Sailing. I enjoyed some of Mulville's other works, and this one, too. At this point in time, however, when shelf-space aboard is limited, I think this is one I'd get from the Inter-Library Loan system.