Last Sunday, Gordon Terrell was featured as saxophone soloist performing “For All We Know” with pianist, Hilton Jones. Gordon has frequently presented special music at Lakewood and his performances are much loved by the congregation.
Next week, there will be another selection of special instrumental music featuring Marg Radens on cello and Preston Poe, guitar and vocals. This will be their first appearance at Lakewood. Be sure not to miss it!
Author: lakewooducc
Devotion – Easter Sunday
Helen Nims, a 100 year old member of the congregation, died in her sleep on Holy Saturday morning about 3:00 a.m. He son in Connecticut spoke with her by phone at about 2:00 a.m. Helen has been ready to die for years. She has said many times, “I don’t know why the Lord is keeping me here.” She was not afraid to die. She did not know what was to come, but she was ready for it.
For Helen, her death is the fulfillment of her hopes and dreams. How beautiful for her to have that gift at Easter.
May Easter bring us all new life!
Devotion 46 – Holy Saturday
Silence. You may have noticed that the devotion posted for Good Friday had no content. It was silent. Maybe on Good Friday, Jesus, in some way experienced the silence of God. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Today, Holy Saturday, there is a tradition that Jesus went down into hell and brought back with him the souls that were in hell. There are paintings of Jesus emerging from the fires of hell with streams of people following him. Thus even in his time of abandonment to the grave, he still found a way to do good, to help others, to defeat evil. Even if God was silent for him.
In recent days we have had a glaring portrayal of the way of Jesus and the way of the world, the contrast, brought home to us. Prominent politicians talk about building a wall to protect the United States. That’s one image. A worldly, fearful, self protecting image. This week, we have heard of Pope Francis washing the feet of immigrants at a center outside of Rome. He is ministering to the very people the wall is meant to keep out. That is an opposite image.
The Pope is following Jesus. Doing the good. Helping those most in need. Reaching out to those who feel marginalized. We think of Jesus, perhaps at his lowest moment, dead, choosing to visit hell to save the souls there. Is it so much to do that here on Earth?
Even when God seems silent, we can still choose to do the good and to follow the way of Jesus. And wait. For the silence will come to an end.
Prayer
We pray for hearts open to the way of love, even when we ourselves face challenge and hardship. May we meet God in the faces of those who need us. Maybe it is we who need them. Amen.
Maundy Thursday photo gallery
The choir which sang “When Jesus Wept” by Billings.
The altar with the statue of the last supper and the 12 candles for the service of tenebrae.
The foot-washing station with scented water and towels.
“Maundy” comes from the Latin word, mandatum, which means commandment. This is to reflect the story of Jesus giving a new commandment to his disciples on his last night with them: “Love one another as I have loved you.”
photos by Sue Sherwood
Lakewood United Church of Christ 