This Sunday a new Adult Study will gather to discuss the Federal Budget (6:30pm). The tag-line for the Study is "What Would Jesus Cut?" I've spoken to several congregation members about this study and it seems to be creating quite a 'buzz!' Perhaps this is because it asks a question that is current and relevant to our society!

Too often churches are relegated to the background when it comes to current, relevant topics. This is partly because the culture doesn't want to hear what the church has to say. However, it is also partly because the churches (especially the main-line churches) largely remain silent.

What wisdom do we have to share with our larger society? What perspectives can we bring from our faith that would benefit the world?

I suspect that we won't end our four week study with a definitive answer of what Jesus would cut. I know, though, that we will have lively, thought-provoking, interesting conversation. I'm sure we will come from the experience stretched in some ways and, hopefully, with a better idea of how our faith can guide our public and political life.

It's Easter Monday. Christ is risen from the dead. Now what? How will you allow the Resurrection to change you? The boundaries of life and death are forever altered. What boundaries do you feel God stretching you to expand? Is there something you have felt called to do but have been too scared to give it a try?

With the God who raised Christ from the dead all things are possible. Christ is Risen! Christ is risen indeed!

(The pictures are from our 5:45am Sunrise Service at the National Gardens.)

Today is Maundy Thursday. Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum which is the first word in Jesus' new commandment, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you." Even though Jesus knew he would be betrayed, revenge was not on his heart, but love.

On this day we remember Jesus' last meal with his disciples. This is also the night of Jesus' betrayal, which preceded his death on Good Friday.

When we gather in the Sanctuary later today we will share in Holy Communion, strip the Sanctuary of its adornments and hear the story of Jesus' betrayal, arrest and crucifixion. It is indeed a holy and painful night.

Yet making the journey through the pain makes the joy of Easter that much more profound. How will you be spending this Maundy Thursday and Good Friday? How will you prepare your heart for Easter?

Our palms have been waved. Our hosannas have been sung. It is now Holy Week. In just a few days we will remember Jesus' last meal with his disciples and, the next day, will stand in the shadow of the cross.

It is Holy Week. We could pretend it is just like every other week. In many ways it is. Most of us still have to go to work, clean our homes, do the laundry, run the errands. But in the midst of all this ordinariness, it is Holy Week.

I've observed Holy Week in different ways over the years. Almost every year I have attended Maundy Thursday and / or Good Friday worship services. One year I fasted during Holy Week. One community where I lived we walked the Way of the Cross. Several of us from different churches took turns carrying the cross and reading Scripture as we walked together down Main St. I've also spent time during Holy Week reflecting on the Stations of the Cross. All of these things have helped me prepare for Easter in a meaningful way. It doesn't matter what you do so much as that you find something meaningful to you to help you reflect on Jesus' crucifixion in preparation for his Easter resurrection. How will you live this week differently because it is Holy Week?

Hosanna! Save us! Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

This Sunday is Palm Sunday ~ one of my favorite Sundays of the year. It is the Sunday we remember Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. When I was a kid I thought Palm Sunday was all fun. We sang Hosanna! and waved our palms. Some years the Sunday School kids even paraded into the sanctuary and handed out palms to the congregation. This was the stuff of good memories.

It wasn't until much later than I began to realize that Palm Sunday is not all fun. While the parade of palms is joyous, it is also the beginning of a dark week, the week of Jesus' crucifixion and death. It is not long before the crowd's shouts of "Hosanna!" turn to shouts of "Crucify Him!" And, riding on the back of the donkey, Jesus knew how the week was going to unfold.

On this Palm Sunday I invite you to remember where the parade will lead us. The parade must lead to the cross before we get to stand before the empty tomb.

Hosanna! Save us! Son of David!

Both my Clergy Cluster and my Tending the Fire group are discussing the book Changing the Conversation by Anthony Robinson. What I like about the book is that it is a book about church leadership and health that doesn't offer a quick fix. I've been a pastor long enough to encounter one too many quick fix books. If you only organize this way or preach this kind of sermon your church will grow! The problem with the quick-fix is that each church is different, unique and placed (by God) in a particular context. One size does not fit all.

What Robinson does instead is to invite us to change the conversations we are having in our churches. Instead of looking for the quick fix, he invites churches to ask questions about themselves, seek to get to know themselves and their communities, and discern what are their weaknesses and what are their unique gifts and purposes. He writes:

When we face up to our own internal situation and turn to God to help us get on with the changes we need to make, amazingly, we seem much more interesting and attractive to others. When life and vitality are happening in a church, when people are excited to be there and are engaged in genuine spiritual growth, it tends to be contagious.

As your pastor, I may be biased, but I think we have a lot to be excited about as a church. We have vital worship, engaging adult studies, vibrant church school, and meaningful mission. What do you think are our unique gifts and purposes? What, in your opinion, are our weaknesses? How can we become (more) attractively contagious? Are you interested in continuing ~ or changing ~ the conversation?

Can these bones live? This was the question God asked Ezekiel in this Sunday's Old Testament lesson. Can these bones ~ dry, brittle, lifeless, bleached ~ live? Ezekiel, probably not knowing what to say, responded, "O Lord, you know."

The good news is that when we see only despair and hopelessness, God sees life. God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones and soon they were being knit together with muscle and flesh and, ultimately, breath. God knew the dry bones could live.

Do you ever feel dry and brittle? Are there times when your life feels like nothing more than dry bones? Easter tells us that life comes out of death, but the path to Easter leads through the graveyard. This tells me that even when we feel lifeless and brittle, God can work in us to bring new life. "Can these bones live?" "O Lord, you know."

We are now half-way through our Lenten Journey. Easter is 20 days away. Lent is an important time of preparation for our Easter Celebration. It is a time to ask ourselves if we are ready to meet the Risen Christ at the empty tomb. It is a time to reflect on our lives and identify areas we might want to change ~ habits we might want to break or take up ~ in order to deepen our relationship with God.

Several years ago I came across a publication by Daniel Benedict titled "Connecting Worship and Daily Living in Lent." In it he suggested that we can prepare for Easter through inward and personal disciplines as well as outward and social disciplines. Here are some of his suggestions:

Inward and Personal Disciplines

~ Spend time in solitude each day
~ Read a book for inner growth
~ Give yourself the gift of three hours to do something you always say you don't have time to do
~ Give up a grudge

Outward and Social Disciplines

~ Take on some loving task
~ Say NO to something that is a waste of time or money
~ Give blood and recall the cross
~ Go to coffee or dinner with someone you want to know better

How are you preparing for Easter? Do any of these suggestions intrigue you? How will you spend the next 20 days?