Good day 

Well, Lenten Lunches continue for two more weeks (April 2 and 9), 12-1pm at Christ Church.

Zoom Lenten Bible Studies continue as well…Mondays (Mar.31, Apr.7 & 14) at 7pm.(Same link each week but, if you’ve never joined before and want the link, just let me know…susan.montague2@gmail.com).

Prayer Study: Thursday, April 3, 4-5pm in the Trinity Centre.

Coming This Saturday!! The Very Rev. Canon Richard Sewell, Dean of St. George’s College in Jerusalem, is joining us on Zoom to offer two reflections. The theme for the day is “Walking the Way of Jesus: From Jerusalem to Your Home”.  This online pilgrimage is Saturday, April 5, 12-1:30pm and 2:30-4pm. I’ll have it on the big screen at Holy Trinity for those who want to join me. Bring yourself a lunch to have and I’ll provide coffee, tea, and snacks. 

Down the road a little: Emmaus is having a “Spring Luncheon – Craft & Bake Sale” on Saturday, May 31st, 11:30am – 1:30pm.  $15 for adults; $10 for children 6-12 years; and under 5 eat free.

A Liturgical Note For You:  Continuing the stuff about The Sunday of the Passion with the Liturgy of the Palms…

So why the emphasis on the Passion of Christ when this is not the day he died?  There is a very long history – many centuries old – to this practice. Reading the Passion Narrative on the Sunday beginning Holy Week turns our hearts and minds more fully to the events of the week leading up to Jesus’ death on the cross. The Passion Narrative, as a matter of fact, used to be read in churches every single day during Holy Week.  Reading the Passion Narrative so quickly on the heels of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem “will not allow any theology that dwells on triumphalism. It will not let us deceive ourselves about the sort of Messiah that Jesus is. To leave Palm Sunday without the Passion narrative can leave one with the impression that Jesus is the conquering Messiah, the Messiah of worldly power. The Passion narrative reminds us that we follow the crucified Messiah, the one who gained victory precisely in defeat” (The Rev. David L. Hansen at thedigitalpastor.org). It is also a reminder that we – the church – are simultaneously the ones who shower Jesus with accolades and then demand his death. We have been made holy by Christ but we still turn from God. Creation is good but broken by sin. The kingdom is here but is not yet fully revealed. 

One final point, The Sunday of the Passion rotates through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke – never John. The first three Gospels provide the narrative of the Last Supper in which Jesus instructs us to eat his body and to drink his blood, the new covenant, in remembrance of him.  Then we hear the rest of the story of Jesus’ betrayal and arrest, his death and his placement in the tomb.  John’s account of the crucifixion is always the one read on Good Friday. John shows us how to see Jesus’ death as his glorification.  More on this next time…

For Your Devotions: (wow…one for every day this time…busy week…)

Monday, March 31^st is the commemoration of John Donne, Priest and Poet, died 1631. Donne is a famous English poet (perhaps, “No man is an island” sounds familiar?) but we acknowledge him as much more.  He was born into a Roman Catholic family and had quite the wayward phase of wild living and religious doubting before converting to Anglicanism. Though he originally entered the priesthood simply as a means to earn a steady income, Donne became Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral and eventually wholeheartedly embraced “the crucified Christ who had embraced him.” He turned his brilliant mind and passionate poetry to the service of Christ and became a powerful preacher attracting great numbers to the cathedral. To read more see p.130:  https://c2892002f453b41e8581-48246336d122ce2b0bccb7a98e224e96.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/ForAlltheSaints.pdf

Tuesday, April 1st is the commemoration of Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest, died 1872.  Frederick began life as the son of a Unitarian clergyman, studied law but refused to accept the degree when it meant declaring himself to be an Anglican. He did, obviously, later convert to Anglicanism and was ordained. He gained some professorships (which he later lost because he was considered by some to be unorthodox in his writings – saying he didn’t believe in “the eternity of hell” for example – which, by the way, should not have earned him the label of ‘unorthodox’).  Why do we celebrate him? Lots of reasons, actually.  Frederick believed strongly in the unity of the body of Christ – transcending the factions and partialities of humankind. He believed the liturgy to be beautiful and powerful (the meeting place of time and eternity, and the fountain of energies for the Church’s mission) but not something to be admired as an object…it is to be embraced in our lives and lived.  He is perhaps most well known for being one of the founders of the Christian Socialist movement and for his creation of the Working Men’s College. To read more:  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-Denison-Maurice

 Wednesday, April 2nd is the commemoration of Henry Budd, 1st Canadian Indigenous Priest, died 1875. Henry was born to a father of the Swampy Cree and to a Metis mother. He, of course, was not named Henry at birth. That name change came later…When his father died, Henry was given into the care of an English missionary (John West) who baptized Henry and gave him the English name.  Henry became a missionary to the northern Cree in Rupert’s Land and was so effective in teaching the faith – he was a powerful speaker in both English and Cree – that he was recommended for ordination (but was paid just half of what a white, married priest earned to support his family). To read more (and to find out what his Cree name was)… https://henrybuddcollege.org/about-the-rev-henry-budd-2/

Thursday, April 3rd is the commemoration of Richard, Bishop of Chichester, died 1253.  This is a “rags to riches” story with a twist…Richard and his brother were left as orphans at an early age. Richard vigorously toiled to restore the family fortune that had been squandered by the incompetent uncle who had been appointed as their guardian. When he had restored the inheritance they’d lost, he handed it all over to his younger brother and left for Oxford. To make a long story short, he eventually became the chancellor at Oxford. He was ordained in 1243 and became bishop just a year later (things happened quickly in those days).  King Henry did not recognize that election – for political reasons and for money.  He locked Richard out of the bishop’s residence and pocketed the revenues, that should have gone to the church, for himself. A village priest invited Richard to live with him and, for the next two years – until King Henry was pressured into acknowledging Richard as bishop – he wandered barefoot around his diocese, holding up the faith and correcting abuses of the local clergymen.  To read more:  http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/139.html

Friday,  April 4th is the commemoration of Reginald Heber, Bishop of Calcutta, died 1826.  Reginald was born into wealth and culture and was quite a child prodigy…having read the bible so thoroughly by age 5 that he could cite chapter and verse for any scripture quoted to him. He wasn’t just distinguished academically though. He was also full of practical energy – he travelled extensively to spread the gospel, consecrate churches, found schools…He is probably best known today for the hymns he has written…perhaps “Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning” and “Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!” ring a bell. To read more:  https://theodora.com/encyclopedia/h/reginald_heber.html

Saturday, April 5th is the memorial of Emily Ayckbowm, foundress of the Community of the Sisters of the Church, died 1900.  Emily founded this Anglican community in 1870 but she’d garnered attention long before that when she volunteered her help during a cholera outbreak in Chester in the 1860’s.  Emily believed strongly that spreading the good news also meant providing practical help to the marginalized (seems pretty obvious to us now) but she took a lot of flack for this stance in that time period. To read more:  https://www.anglican.ca/faith/worship/resources/ayckbowm/

In the hope of Christ,

Susan