For Such A Time As This 4-9-20 – Bethany Hoffer
To the Good Folk of the Palmyra Church of the Brethren,
Love Feast:
You will receive an email today by 6:45pm with a link to our Love Feast service. We are asking as many as are able to begin the video at 7pm, so that we can share this experience at the same time. Please refer to Monday’s email (03/06/20) for preparation instructions for this Love service.
You can also participate in a live streamed denominational Love Feast service, which is scheduled to begin at 8pm this evening. Here is the link: https://livestream.com/livingstreamcob/lovefeast2020.
Living Cross Invitation:
Covering the cross with living flowers has been part of our Easter Morning worship experience for over two decades. Even though we will not be physically together in worship this Sunday, we are planning to observe this testimony of life to our spirits and our community. Here’s the plan:
Reminder:
If you know someone who does not have email, please call them and offer to read this email to them and share this devotion with them. And, check in on how they are doing.
Today’s Devotion:
Did you know that Bethany Hoffer has been posting a Weekly Connect on our website youth page since schools were closed almost a month ago? Check it out. Each week includes words of encouragement and guidance, plus a series of tasks to complete in order to qualify for a prize. Today’s devotion is adapted from this week’s posting. Thank you, Bethany, for your ministry to and with our youth, and thank you for sharing this devotion with us. If you wish to respond to Bethany directly, her email address is bhoffer@palmyracob.org .
Shalom,
Dennis
Scripture – Matthew 28:6
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Thoughts:
It's a little strange heading into Holy Week (the week before Easter) knowing that we won't get to participate in many of the traditions and experiences that usually makeup this week (at least not in the same way). For the Church of the Brethren (that's us!), this means missing out on (or seeing everyone at) one of my all-time favorite traditions - Love Feast. If you haven't participated in Love Feast before, it's like a reenactment of Jesus' Last Supper - complete with food, footwashing, and bread and cup communion. For me, it exemplifies Christ's love for us and his wish for us to gather as a community and serve one another. I'll also miss getting dressed up, going to church, and adding flowers to the cross on Easter morning, and then gathering for a meal with extended family.
I think that it is okay to grieve during this time. In fact, I think it's appropriate! The events leading up to Easter weren't happy events. They were scary and sad, discouraging and disgusting. There was certainly a great deal of grieving going on. And after Jesus died, there was a lot of uncertainty about what would happen next.
Our hope comes in knowing that after this depressing and disheartening week, Jesus rose from the dead (resurrection is the word we churchy folk use)! He came back to life. His job wasn't done. His love did not end.
Prayer:
Loving God, we live in a time of uncertainty. But we can have faith in the knowledge that Jesus rose from the dead. And with faith, we will rise from this as well. Amen.
Love Feast:
You will receive an email today by 6:45pm with a link to our Love Feast service. We are asking as many as are able to begin the video at 7pm, so that we can share this experience at the same time. Please refer to Monday’s email (03/06/20) for preparation instructions for this Love service.
You can also participate in a live streamed denominational Love Feast service, which is scheduled to begin at 8pm this evening. Here is the link: https://livestream.com/livingstreamcob/lovefeast2020.
Living Cross Invitation:
Covering the cross with living flowers has been part of our Easter Morning worship experience for over two decades. Even though we will not be physically together in worship this Sunday, we are planning to observe this testimony of life to our spirits and our community. Here’s the plan:
- Our Easter Morning virtual worship video will include clips from previous Easter services of both the flowering of the cross and the procession of the cross toward the street. You will receive an email by 8:30am on Sunday with a link to this service.
- Following the service, from 11am to 12 noon, you are invited to bring flowers to the front of the church. Please stay in your car or stand at a distance, and at least six feet from others, until it is your turn. For the safety of all, everyone must wear a mask. When it is your turn, you can get out of your car and/or walk to the cross to put your flower on the cross. We will give you the safe space to do so. If you want to hand us your flowers, we will put them on the cross for you. Rachel and I will be there guiding the process, offering assistance as needed, and observing safe protocols. We will be wearing masks, gloves, etc...
- Those who are unable to come to the church, for whatever reason, can call, text or email me and ask that a flower be placed on the cross on their behalf, in celebration of someone, or in memory of someone. We will have extra flowers on hand for this purpose. My email address is dlohr@palmyracob.org and my cell phone number can be found at the top of page three in our 2020 directory.
- We will take periodic pictures throughout this process in order to create a time lapse video of the cross being flowered. This video will be posted on our website and Facebook page by 8pm Sunday evening. This video will include the “Let’s Do the Wave” piece. Together, they will warm your faith and bring a smile to your face.
- If you have any questions, call, text or email me.
Reminder:
If you know someone who does not have email, please call them and offer to read this email to them and share this devotion with them. And, check in on how they are doing.
Today’s Devotion:
Did you know that Bethany Hoffer has been posting a Weekly Connect on our website youth page since schools were closed almost a month ago? Check it out. Each week includes words of encouragement and guidance, plus a series of tasks to complete in order to qualify for a prize. Today’s devotion is adapted from this week’s posting. Thank you, Bethany, for your ministry to and with our youth, and thank you for sharing this devotion with us. If you wish to respond to Bethany directly, her email address is bhoffer@palmyracob.org .
Shalom,
Dennis
Scripture – Matthew 28:6
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Thoughts:
It's a little strange heading into Holy Week (the week before Easter) knowing that we won't get to participate in many of the traditions and experiences that usually makeup this week (at least not in the same way). For the Church of the Brethren (that's us!), this means missing out on (or seeing everyone at) one of my all-time favorite traditions - Love Feast. If you haven't participated in Love Feast before, it's like a reenactment of Jesus' Last Supper - complete with food, footwashing, and bread and cup communion. For me, it exemplifies Christ's love for us and his wish for us to gather as a community and serve one another. I'll also miss getting dressed up, going to church, and adding flowers to the cross on Easter morning, and then gathering for a meal with extended family.
I think that it is okay to grieve during this time. In fact, I think it's appropriate! The events leading up to Easter weren't happy events. They were scary and sad, discouraging and disgusting. There was certainly a great deal of grieving going on. And after Jesus died, there was a lot of uncertainty about what would happen next.
Our hope comes in knowing that after this depressing and disheartening week, Jesus rose from the dead (resurrection is the word we churchy folk use)! He came back to life. His job wasn't done. His love did not end.
Prayer:
Loving God, we live in a time of uncertainty. But we can have faith in the knowledge that Jesus rose from the dead. And with faith, we will rise from this as well. Amen.
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