In the movie "Bruce Almighty", a man named Bruce is given the job of being God. Big shoes to fill! He begins to be besieged by prayer requests that need to be answered. As he sees the overwhelming task of answering each prayer individually, he decides that he will answer every prayer "yes". This results in pandemonium as everyone who buys a ticket wins the lottery and chaos erupts. Bruce is walking by coworkers at a party and you hear one of the women say, "I lost 35 pounds on the Krispy Kreme diet!". Don't I wish!
As I journey through Holy Week, I think back to when I was a child living in the parsonage during Holy Week. Things were busy and there was an excitement in the air as we drew closer to Easter. The Easter Bunny would be making a visit to our house whilst we slept Holy Saturday. There were new Easter clothes to be worn to the Easter worship service. One year I got my ears pierced just before Easter and had a new pair of earrings to match my pretty dress. I think they were in the shape of strawberries.
This Holy Week finds me very blessed. Many people have stepped forward to help out with the wide variety of activities taking place to prepare us for Holy Week. Our church offers a Prayer Labyrinth and the set-up this year was a breeze with so many hands making light work. The Good Friday Passion Remembrance practice was somewhat chaotic, but that is to be expected. A tough rehearsal usually makes for a great performance. As one of my former youth group members quoted to me in an e-mail, "You always tell us that it's not about us, it's about God. Just breathe and remember that!" Such wise words from such a wise mentor.
During this week, lots of convenience foods have been stocked in my freezer -- frozen pizza, frozen entrees, frozen pasta, ice cream. I have already dyed my Easter eggs and enjoy them for breakfast. A dear friend blessed me with a loaf of her terrific banana bread. With all of these choices come the potential to "eat yourself stupid" as Bill Franke would say. However, I am often on the go and tend to grab whatever I can when I think of it.
I am always amazed that I usually drop a couple pounds or more during Holy Week. This is better than the South Beach Diet or Jenny Craig. It also cuts down on the amount of dishes I have to wash. The only thing in the sink are glasses. Double the blessings!
I know that a regular meal schedule with small snacks is the ideal if you speak to dieticians and doctors. That will return next week as my schedule switches back to pre-Lent.
Some denominations fast during Holy days. I envy those who can do this. I know that fasting is a discipline that helps you focus on things above, not worldly things. I have decided to have a positive attitude about my inability to fast for days at a time, so I now fast between meals and feel much better!
I hope your Holy Week is a blessing to you as we make our way closer to the cross and the empty tomb.
2 comments:
Lisa, with everything that's going on, let me extend my deepest appreciation to you and others of our church who have adopted the Scheitlins as their own and poured out their love for them this week. Between our church and the spiritual support from the priests and the deacons at St. Alexius, the Christian love has been a blessing that none of us will soon forget. The motto of St. A's, which is run by the Benedictine Sisters, is to "find the Christ in others." That has been so apparent this week.
It has been our pleasure to share with you and your families the love and support that you have shared with others so many times. Our prayers continue to be with all of you during this time.
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