I had originally hoped to blog through Lent, but clearly God had other things in mind when I came down appendicitis on Ash Wednesday.
So now, it is Holy Week and I am just starting to do what I committed to do for each of the forty days of Lent, which was to lift up what I find life giving at Holy Cross Lutheran Church. So, I have a lot of catching up to do!
So here is the plan. Beginning on Monday of Holy Week, I will name 7 people/events/happenings each day that I have found life giving this Lent. I will call this the Life Giving Holy Cross Award (LGHC).
So here goes for Monday of Holy Week:
March 1 Ash Wednesday. Appendicitis Day! After a miserable night of literally gut wrenching pain I turned to my husband Tony and said, “Sweetheart, I think I should go to urgent care.”
On the way to the doctor I texted MB that morning and said, “Uh…you’re not going to like this but I think I’m going to miss the noon Ash Wednesday service. I’ll let you know if I can do the evening service as soon as I do.”
Well, I was very grateful for MB. He told me not to worry about Ash Wednesday then immediately got in touch with Pr. Opsahl who covered both services. Good thing too, because I was in no shape to do church after my surgery…So, MB gets the first Life Giving Holy Cross Award (LGHC).
March 2 Thursday—I finally get home after a night in Alexandria hospital and start to count my blessings. Even though Pr. Opsahl isn’t officially part of Holy Cross, he gets my vote for being part of what makes Holy Cross life giving because he did Ash Wednesday. It is not easy to step into the pulpit the day of a service…. So, Pr. Opsahl gets the LGHC on the second day of Lent!
March 3 Friday—On the third day of Lent it is Jeremy and Eve who get to share the LGHC. I could rest knowing that Jeremy and Eve would tend to the day to day running of the church.
March 4 Saturday—The fourth day of Lent An edible arrangement–fruit arrived! Thank you, Jo and Mark Roe! You get the LGCH award for bringing a smile to my face.
March 6 Monday—This is the fifth day of Lent. No, it’s not a mistake. Sundays don’t count as a day of Lent. Did you ever notice that the bulletin cover reads “The First Sunday in Lent” rather than “The First Sunday of Lent.”
Anyway, I digress. Pr. Phil Hirsch who volunteers to step into the pulpit on the First Sunday in Lent gets the LGCH award. Yes, I know he is not a member of Holy Cross, but he is part of the body of Christ and so, he counts as well. We are all part of the life-giving body of Christ.
March 7 Tuesday—the sixth day of Lent. I know the synod staff prayed for me. That’s right, Bishop Graham and the rest of the staff pray every Tuesday. They pray for the congregations in this synod. Wow! That is a powerful thought! I count our synod as part of what is life giving about Holy Cross because as I said earlier, we are all part of the body of Christ. So, the LGCH goes to the Metropolitan Washington D.C. Synod of the ELCA!
March 8 Wednesday—the seventh day of Lent. Ann Geiger’s jokes arrived. Two envelopes in one day. Ouch! It hurts to laugh…..nonetheless, jokes are life-giving, especially Ann Geiger’s jokes. The LGCH award goes to Ann Geiger and laughter!
Pastor Kleiber