Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

People rejoice, nations hear:
Christ is risen, and brings the joy!
Stars dance, mountains sing:
Christ is risen, and brings the joy!
Forests murmur, winds hum:
Christ is risen, and brings the joy!
Seas bow*, animals roar:
Christ is risen, and brings the joy!
Bees swarm, and the birds sing:
Christ is risen, and brings the joy!

Angels stand, triple the song:
Christ is risen, and brings the joy!
Sky humble yourself, and elevate the earth:
Christ is risen, and brings the joy!
Bells chime, and tell to all:
Christ is risen, and brings the joy!
Glory to You God, everything is possible to You,
Christ is risen, and brings the joy!

~St. Nikolai Velimirovich

From Glory to God in All Things,

Were You There?

Were You There?
Traditional Hymn

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they pierced him in the side? Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when the sun refused to shine?1
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
O sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

God of My Bitter Hours

God of My Bitter Hours 

You knelt in the Gethsemane garden
In the final hours before your death,
The sweat of bloody regret on your brow.
We, too, have our painful episodes
When the bitter taste of obvious defeat
Barricades any hope of comfort and release.
You join us in our bitter hours of struggle
When opposition, discontent, or lament
Block the corridors to our peacefulness.
You reassure us, “This, too, will pass.”

~by Joyce Rupp (Inspired by Karl Rahner)

O Taste and See

O Taste and See

The world is
not with us enough O taste and see

the subway Bible poster said, meaning The Lord, meaning if anything all that lives
to the imagination’s tongue,

grief, mercy, language, tangerine, weather, to
breathe them, bite,
savor, chew, swallow, transform

into our flesh our
deaths, crossing the street, plum, quince, living in the orchard and being

hungry, and plucking the fruit.

~by Denise Levertov

As we begin Holy Week

Today we have cheered you on as our champion and hailed you as our hero.

Forgive us tomorrow when our enthusiasm wanes.

Today we have entrusted you to rescue us from our pitiful circumstances.

Forgive us on Tuesday when we decide we can take care of ourselves.

Today we have made you the centerpiece of our very existence.

Forgive us on Wednesday when we forget to remember who you are.

Today we have called out to you loudly by name.

Forgive us on Thursday when we pretend that we’ve never met you.

Today we have stared at you with the star struck eyes of fans and groupies.

Forgive us on Friday when we avert our eyes because it’s too painful to see you on the cross.

Today we have expressed our unsuppressed hopefulness in the future you have in store for us.

Forgive us on Saturday when we believe all is lost.

Today we have been boldly certain of the earthly ways you will redeem us.

Restore us on Sunday when we are startled and awed by your rising.

~by The Rev. Christine Sobania Johnson

Hosanna

Hosanna!
The King is coming
Hosanna!

We cheer your entry into our city
into our nation
into our conflicts.

We cheer your coming to set things straight
take control
restore order.

Hosanna!
The King is coming
Hosanna!

We cheer your riding to rescue us from hard times and
economic vulnerability and personal depression.

We cheer you because you are on our side.
you will make everything better
safer
healthier
wealthier

Hosanna!
The King is coming
Hosanna!

We cheer you… but where are you going?
To the poor and perishing
the humble and heartbroken
the lame and the lonely.

We cheer you… but what are you doing?
Feeding the hungry
comforting the widow
calming the madness
raising the dead.

We cheer you… how are you conquering?
You turn the other cheek
pray for your persecutors
forgive your executioners.

We cheer you… how are you reigning?
turning over tables
arrested in Gethsemane
dying on a Roman cross
buried in a stone covered tomb.
Hosanna!
The King is coming
Hosanna!

Grant us faith, Lord, that we may follow you
into Jerusalem
into our lives
into the life of the world.

Grant us strength, Lord, that we may face the challenges
of hunger and poverty
homelessness and divorce
sickness and death.

Grant us courage, Lord, that we may embrace
love over hate
peace over war
freedom over slavery.

Grant us forgiveness, Lord, that we may
worship and praise you
follow and obey you
live and serve you.

Hosanna!
The King is coming
Hosanna!

Amen.

That is Palm Sunday

Waving the Palms
Palm Sunday is found:
whenever we are serving a noble and unpopular cause with selfless devotion, holding to the ideals of truth and justice;
whenever we are seeking to uplift the fallen, to comfort the brokenhearted, to strengthen and encourage the weak and hopeless;
whenever we are working bravely and persistently in the face of abuse and criticism to establish more equitable relations in the world;
whenever we are sacrificing our lives in behalf of what we believe to be the service of love for all humanity.
That is Palm Sunday!

Source: Dancing in the Empty Space – Skinner House 2001