The week ahead is an interesting one. Pancake Tuesday. Ash Wednesday. Valentine’s Day. NiteKirk on Friday night. And a week off school for my kids. This morning opens with a family peanut butter factory at the other end of the table. It’s one of those February days when you can believe that spring in coming. The light is gentle and the sky finally open.
I received a flyer in the mail this week with a picture of a local citizen, smiling, and flipping pancakes, advertising the local Lions’ Club […]
The Ash Wednesday gospel is worth re-reading throughout the season. Maybe the gospel for us is, “Practice your piety before others in order to be seen by them.”
The week begins and we see the end of Lent. This week is the centre of our faith story, the middle of everything. Yesterday, we sang hosannas loud and clear. Kim from Nova Scotia has a little daughter who was delighted by the parade of Palm Sunday at their church yesterday. She described like this:
Monday morning and baking bread. I just got the loaves out of the pans and the house smells like home. But it was a bit of a wrestle.
I went to the garden centre this morning while the bread was finishing its rise, and came back with a great selection of seeds. So, as I was prepping the pans for the loaves, I was thinking ahead to my glorious summer garden. I buttered the sides of the pans as usual, and then forgot the bottoms.
This story juxtaposes dramatically with last week’s leper who says to Jesus “If you will, you can make me clean.” Here, the friends say “we will!” and get rather hands-on to prove the point. The emphasis is on our own faith and therefore on our actions rather than on our ability to persuade God to act. Which is probably a good place to be as we approach Lent.
My table has been messy with baking this afternoon. They say that Lenten Sundays are feast days, and so I obliged. Though it’s not just Lent that got me feasting. It’s really Purim.
Part of my job description is to throw parties. No joke. I am to provide social activities for our congregation. So, as I mentioned in last week’s post, I threw a party last Saturday in the church hall.
The Spouse was ranting this morning at breakfast. Okay, an exaggeration, that. No one at our breakfast this morning could muster the energy required for a rant. We’ve just had a very full weekend. Friday was Beangirl’s first Photo Day at school, and, in the evening, I had a Kirk Session meeting. Saturday was spent at church, enjoying a rather chaotic and happy afternoon of messy crafts and games with the Sunday School children. Then yesterday…
Now I know how Jesus felt when he knew his days were numbered. How his heart must have ached to leave behind those he loved.