Saturday, April 19, 2014

Loving the Lectionary

I love this time of year in Church - and I'm sure I'm not alone.  Holy Week, although tiring, has such a wonderful slew of services - you could have services every day!

So.  Why do I love them?  What is it about these services that is so great and astonishing?  Is it the pomp and circumstance?  The finery and the color changes.  The fact that this is the time when one can get his high Church on?

Well - I'm in Oklahoma.  We dimmed some candles last night - and Maundy Thursday we used the service of Corporate Confession.  It wasn't overly fancy -- and I'd still love the services if they were more fancy or less fancy.  The amount of gravy isn't what makes this a great time - it's the meat... the READINGS.

Think about it.  Palm Sunday - eh, let's have two Gospel readings, and one of them, eh, let's have it be two chapters long.  4 Passions - let's read them all over the course of the week.  The Suffering Servant, let's read that.  Psalm 22 - bring it on!

And tonight, there is the Easter Vigil.  New fire - that's neat... but the readings, that's where it's at.  The Word of God proclaiming the triumph of Christ against sin and death - over and over and over.  Seeing that the fulfillment of the ages is Christ the Crucified Rising triumphantly. 

If you have the chance, go swing by a vigil - hear the Word.  It's a great thing.

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