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And so we wait . . .

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Cookies are part of every holiday preparation The day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday often gets lost in the shuffle. There is only a short (maybe 10 minute) prayer service, which is on pg. 283 in The Book of Common Prayer . I have been to many of these services. Some take place in the columbarium of the church, some in the choir and some simply just outside the doors of the church. It is usually a small group that prays together and then enters the church to prepare for the Easter Vigil and all the festivities of Easter morning. Eggs Dying a Few Years Ago Scripture tells us that the day following the crucifixion was the day of preparation so preparations were made for the feast and then the women waited. They sat near the tomb and they waited until they could care for the body of Jesus. We do the same in most homes and churches. We clean our homes for company and begin to prepare Easter dinner. Churches are scrubbed and decorated with flowers. Vestments are wash
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The Story, we hear?

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A hard conversation about the cross Good Friday is an incredibly difficult day to explain. Even my seven year old, who has grown up hearing the story each year, has new questions every time we read the story of Jesus’ death on the morning of Good Friday. Each year the questions become more and more difficult to answer and we are both becoming comfortable with the grey areas of the narrative. I am learning, as we parent our two little boys, that grey areas are easier for children than adults. They are more willing to accept the confusing sticking points and they are able to not get distracted by the details of the story. They often get right to the heart of why they are hearing a story when we are still confused by why certain things have happened. My oldest is growing up and he is totally focused on the details now. He had so many questions about Judas and Peter. He wanted to know about the King of the Jews, the crowd, and the religious authorities. It took us a long time toda
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What is Love

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Taking time to find the beauty in the everyday. Photo by Christopher Lukanich For years, I watched my father make each of us breakfast in the mornings and pack our lunches. He would also pack my mother a lunch and carry all her bags to the car. Likewise once my mother learned that my father loved something that she had cooked that item hit the dinner rotation with amazing regularity. Everyday she shuttled us to dance, soccer, piano, choir and school while quizzing us, at each stoplight, on spelling words, math skills, and history facts. The laundry was always done and when we could reach the button that skill was taught to us. We lived in a house where we knew we were loved and that our parents loved and respected one another. Teaching and Building Something Together. The most amazing thing about love is that love is not shown in the grand gesture and shiny present but in the day-to-day action of caring for one another.   We all like grand gesture and cool presents but t
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Beyond Bullies

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Feeling alone can make things worse.  What is the most embarrassing moment you have ever had? I can remember times when I have said the wrong thing or tripped and fallen in front of lots of people. Those moments were embarrassing but they only lasted a moment and then we all moved on. My moments of suffering and true pain have most often been at the hands of another person. Most of the time this pain wasn’t physical but it was scary and humiliating nonetheless. Many times those who bully and torture others are afraid of something. It could be a lose in status or power, a desire to not be the one who is tortured and bullied or finally a desire to maintain the status quo. Those people often chose to interact with people out of fear rather than love. They chose to demean and belittle another in order to up lift themselves. It is an unfortunate and painful aspect of human nature. This is the position that Jesus is in at his arrest. The authorities are afraid of Jesus because t
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