This time of year, beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter Sunday, is my most favourite season of the liturgical church.
Six weeks of spiritual preparation; setting aside time to reflect on Christ’s sacrifice, his life, suffering, death, burial and resurrection.
In the shops of course it is secular, with the baskets and the bunny, and while we enjoy celebrating with a party on the day He is Risen and enjoying the symbol of eggs as new life, the Alleluias we say and sing at church are about the empty tomb and our redeemed lives…
…with a few Cadbury creme eggs thrown in…for fun!
We couldn’t attend church again this year during Lent so we walked our woods and meditated on The Stations of the Cross as often as we could.
It was a most moving thirty to forty minutes surrounded by the beautiful trees we husband for the time being.
We were warned off by a pair of hawks who have set up home in our back forty, reminding us, in no uncertain terms, that they were here before us and to keep out of their territory…
When Holy Week hit we entered into the Triduum: The three High Holy Days leading up to Easter Sunday.
We watched Maundy Thursday service live-streamed from Christ Church, Pensacola.
We’d made homemade cheese-cake chimichangas (our Maundy tradition with the children after church).
They were a nostalgically delicious after dinner treat,
we missed our sons and daughters munching silently alongside us.
On Good Friday we stayed at home. Plans to head to our son’s for a fish fry, while it was apt for the day, were abandoned as it would mean we would be too busy.
We worked outside gardening and tending horses until it was time to meet Daughts and her Hubs and head on over to their church in downtown McKinney.
There we were led through 7 Stations of the Cross depicted by Austin artist Scott Erickson; the last hours of Christ’s life with commentaries, meditation and prayer.
We returned home alone to continue our fast and contemplation.
Holy Saturday is always a limbo day, caught between the death and resurrection.
We spent it sharing in the mood of the disciples 2000 years ago while going about our work.
We had intended to attend the 8pm vigil at Incarnation near downtown Dallas.
During the afternoon we decided to stay at home since it was going to be a late night and after a year of standing firm on our own thresh-holds we felt quite comfortable with the decision not to go to in-person service.
I iced and decorated my Easter Cake even though we were not having a party.
At 8 o’clock we joined Bishop Burton and his clergy and choir on-line.
After the kindling of new fire, the lighting of the paschal candle and passing the light to the congregation the prophesies were read, a sermon was given and a young woman was baptised. The candlelight translated into pinpricks of light in the darkness on our laptop screen.
After more than an hour we entered the Alleluia phase of the mass and the whole church came alive with lights, the ringing of bells, lilies, shouts of,
“Alleluia! Christ is Risen!”
and organ music to accompany the Incarnation choir as a dozen of them raised their voices in celebration.
Easter had arrived and with it the promise of New Life.
It was getting chilly out on our patio by this time so we moved to the kitchen table where we ate our fish pie, hot from the oven, and partook in our own eucharistic meal.
Easter Sunday dawned in glorious sunshine. We joined Daughts and Sam at their church, The Parks, housed at the Courthouse in downtown McKinney where we witnessed four more baptisms.
The congregation was young, the church was full and the music soared as we all lifted our voices in song.
I had packed my cake in a cooler and we took it with us to each home we visited.
First brunch with the whole Kellogg clan including dogs, cats and baby chicks!
Next stop G’Mama’s and the McNeny family in Garland.
And finally nearby friends for good conversation and reminiscences of Easters past…always at our house!
Our evening meal of traditional lamb was served around the kitchen table at Footlights with Daughts and Sam in attendance…they evidently hadn’t had enough of us…and we almost finished off the peripatetic Easter cake!
It had been a long season of spiritual reflection and prayer culminating in a travelling Easter Party.
We never do anything by halves and love celebrating events and marking occasions; this Easter was no exception.
Which was good and shows that even when times are awkward or hard or not as we would want them to be, we can still keep our traditions and participate in the church calendar in unique and memorable ways.
Happy Easter!
“Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia!
“The Lord is Risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!”
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
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