Christ is Risen!

He is risen indeed!

I did NOT stand at the bottom of stairs and shout this first thing in the morning, as my father did. Nor did we shout it across the parking lot, as they did in Alaska.

But I do love this traditional greeting and was glad that the minister leading the service encouraged us to spend a few minutes greeting each other in this way.

And the music…  I think it was the most Easter-ish thing of all.

We sang some amazing hymns today. But the last hymn, “Thine Be the Glory”, with the brass and the choirs descant soaring…  A taste of heaven.

I love stringed instruments – violin, cello, etc. – but somehow there is nothing like brass to express the power and majesty of the resurrection!

5th Sunday of Lent

Back in Ajigasawa the Lenten Reflection was:

When Jesus spoke again to the people,

he said, “I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me

will never walk in darkness,

but will have the light of life.”

- John 8:12.

At Knox Church here in Toronto the reflection on the narrow way was very helpful. I’ve lost my notes but the short version is:  You can’t do everything, so stop dawdling around worrying about what you’ll miss and make a choice. If your choices are informed by the Word of God and guided by the Holy Spirit you will be alright.

There were some other (significant) thoughts:  We shouldn’t expect the path of our choice to be easy. After all, the context is that Jesus face is set toward Jerusalem – and Calvary.

In short, the service was good – but I missed the Lenten candles.

Fourth Sunday of Lent

My knee is still bad so I elected to stay home and attend the Toronto Mandarin Bible Church which meets here at Wycliffe. At the end I managed to introduce myself in Chinese – I could hear a faint murmur (almost a gasp) – I don’t think that anyone was expecting that!

Unfortunately I  was late – it started at 10 not 10:30 - so I missed everything but the sermon and the last hymn. I understood lots of words but, sadly, not usually the sense of it. He was talking about the transfiguration.

I don’t know if there was any reference to Lent.

Back in Ajigasawa the the Lent meditation was John 10:11. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

3rd Sunday of Lent - 3/11 Memorial

But I missed it all…

I still have a bum knee so I was going to stay home and go to the Mandarin Church meeting in Wycliffe College Founder’s  Chapel.

Instead I stayed home and threw up all morning and slept most of the afternoon.

The kids are also a bit under the weather. Colds I think but definitely not their usual cheerful selves. So the three older kids went to Knox with their father in the morning as usual but came home and Yuko went alone to the afternoon service at the Japanese Church which included a half hour memorial service for the March 11 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. A lot of tears as some members had lost friends.

Daughter # 4 says that back in Ajigasawa the Lenten meditation was :  

“I am the gate;
whoever enters through me
will be saved.
They will come in and go out,
and find pasture.”
- John 10:9

And my husband sent a photo of Elisha taken after the service. He was sitting up in a high chair for the first time!

We have experienced so much loss in the last year that we sometimes forget. There has been a lot of gain and a lot of joy as well.

The 2nd Sunday of Lent

Yesterday was the second Sunday of Lent. Back in Japan, as they lit the second candle my church community focused on:

I am the vine;
you are the branches.
If you remain in me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing.
- John 15:5I

Here in Toronto I attended Knox Presbyterian Church with my son’s family. It was a nostalgic morning – Knox is the church we attended the year after our son was born.

Knox Presbyterian Church, Toronto

The First Sunday of Lent 2012

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Lent. My husband is doing the “I AM” passages from John in random (or, rather, his own) order again this year.

So yesterday we meditated on “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The way… that sounds so good right now when our way is so unclear.

We still need someone who will love our animals and fill the pulpit (two pulpits actually) here in Japan and we still don’t have a car in North America.

Irene Webster Smith love the Syriac version of Proverbs 4:12: “As thou goest the way shall be opened up for you step-by-step.” 

“As thou goest” is the word I’m clinging to just now.

Last night we sang the that wonderful Easter hymn “Come Ye Faithful Raise the Strain”   ..God hath brought forth Israel into joy from sadness; Loosed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke Jacob’s sons and daughters, Led them with unmoistened foot through the Red Sea waters.

Moses leading Israel through the Red Sea is a truly a wonderful  story. But, as I pointed out last night, sometimes we do have to get our feet wet! Remember that later when Israel crossed the Jordan the river didn’t stop flowing until the priests stepped in the water.

So we go forward. I fly east to New York on Thursday. Heading to Toronto.