By the time this newsletter reaches her reader the people of All Saints'
will be well on our journey to the tomb and beyond. It is a tempting journey
to avoid. After I have had attended a death of a person (particularly my
parent or close friend) I always find going out of the room and back into
the world a difficult journey. As I walk from the silence of dying and death
into the world the noise, busyness, laughing, beeping of horns and general
hum of life doesn't seem appropriate. We say we are too busy to stop our
cars for funeral processions and we look for any other excuse to avoid the
pain and suffering of the death of someone important to us. I often have the
feeling that I want to stand in the middle of the street and scream - How
can you just go on like nothing has happened here! But, eventually, in
one form or another we do go on with our life. In fact, after a while, the
pain is not as acute and we can appreciate the moments we had with our
important person. The words from the Burial Office put it well: In the
midst of life - we are in death; and the opposite is also true in the
midst of death we are in life.
I am aware that after all the trauma of Holy Week: the arrest, the trial,
the crucifixion and the burial, the disciples were exhausted and they were
living with the sting of death. Easter brought about exhilaration and
celebration which put the disciples on a different roller coaster of
emotions. Yet, in the midst of this exhaustion and exhilaration the hard
work had really just begun. The disciples needed to take what they had
learned and experienced and show the world what new thing God was doing in
their midst.
I have to say that we are going to have a similar experience at All Saints'
this year. Following Holy Week and Easter we will continue on to show the
world the new thing God is doing in our lives and in the lives of those for
whom we love and care. The Sunday following Easter we will have a farewell
and celebration for Fr. Michael Lippard. We will at one and the same time be
grieving our loss and celebrating the new thing God is doing in Michael's
life. The Sunday following that event, April 6, Bishop Gray will be here to
confirm, visit and teach. Then, I suppose we think we should all take a good
long nap in the sun of the springtime. But, God will continue to bring
forward other challenges and opportunities for us to share in the Gospel of
the Resurrection.
Of course, as we want to complain about the continuous pace of ministry we
are also so thankful that we are able to make a difference and that God has
been able to make a difference through our ministry here at All Saints'. The
truth is that we have a great time getting together, laughing, working and
sharing - it's just who we are and who God has called us to be. It's in our
blood! Much like the vocation of parenthood, marriage, teaching or praying
we never really 'finish' and start over. We have busier times and less busy
times but our vocations are always a part of who we are and whose we are.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
In Christ,
Mother
LaRae +
