Share the Easter story

So LLLL has come to an end for another year, and that means one very important thing- Christ is risen! Alleluia!!
It also means I should think about how the experience has changed me spiritually. If change hasn't occurred and I just go back to life as usual there was little point in undertaking it.
So- have I "been the change I want to see"? Yes and no. Thinking about others more brings me out of my little bubble. It makes me more aware of my friends, my community and my world. LLLL helps me to confront things I wouldn't usually but also gives me ways of trying to improve my relationship with God- time for stillness and reflection. Yet there's always more I could have done, tasks that remain unfulfilled and things I could have done better. Rather than dwell on that I hope to try and keep thinking of others- to be a servant rather than a consumer.
The most important aspect of LLLL this year has been community- I wasn't on my own. With the group of us from St Michael's church, plus some of the school children choosing tasks to complete, how have we as a whole affected our little community? I don't know, but any change for the better- even if it's just one person- is a change for good and a change for God.
So I finish LLLL by sharing the Easter story with my family, praying that raising my children in faith will be something that moulds their lives and means they will grow to become people who don't live to take and consume but to give and to serve.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!!!!

Think about the Good Friday story

We didn't make an Easter garden today as the task suggested, but we did immerse ourselves in the Good Friday story.
Each Good Friday at St Michael's we have a children's service which in some way tells the Easter story, followed by a mountain of hot cross buns. For many years this was a simple passion play, using the children to act out the story. Then for a couple of years we had a service where the cross was central- we would pin our 'hurts' to a large cross and later in the service all the hurts would be covered up with a flower to symbolise Jesus healing us.
The last two years we've done 'Experience Easter' with stations all around the church representing different parts of Holy Week.
This year we decided it was time for a change and decided to go for a simple telling of the story. I wanted to find a way of getting the children to use their imaginations and put themselves in the story.
Through the Barnabas in Churches website I came across the Footsteps to The Feast material by Martyn Payne. This walks the children through each day of Holy Week, uses a chant to link between each day and has an action using our hands for each day. We built the service around this, but added a few of our own touches- the main one being getting everyone to think about something that made them sad, write it down and place it on the altar to hand their sadness over to God.
What I wasn't prepared for was the strong emotions the service stirred up. When I looked out and saw people in tears I at first thought I'd made a terrible error in judgement- yet there should be sadness on Good Friday. Without Good Friday there can be no resurrection, no celebration, no Easter and no 'Promised day' as Footsteps to the Feast calls it. Then I began to get feedback. The service had touched people, the strong emotions they had experienced were cathartic and healing. We had achieved our aim of immersing people in the story.
I think we spend a lot of our lives trying to avoid confronting sadness, death and mortality but us Christians have an entire belief system built around one man's death, but more importantly it's also built upon his resurrection. Death conquered holds no fear.

Love One Another

Today's task has resulted in my husband and mum getting daffodils. They hold special significance for my husband as his mum loved them so much.
Twice today I preached my Maundy Thursday sermon which ended with the notion that we should begin to understand Jesus by loving one another. I'll post the full text of my sermon in the morning (it's on the laptop and I'm tucked up in bed!)
As with the last few days before Christmas I'm not always very receptive to the needs of my family during the end of Holy Week, and there's been so much to do this year that I think I've been pretty grumpy. My husband told me I was fruity earlier- then added that sadly the fruit was a crab apple. He has a point.

Be imaginative

People were simply not forthcoming in telling me what they'd given up for Lent!! Very frustrating, so I decided to be more imaginative about it. One of my friends told me what she had tried to take up for Lent, so I have a plan related to that.
Another friend said she was buying herself what she'd given up, not being able to find out what others were up to. Love this- but I already have plans to (prayerfully) enjoy some things I've been without (ok, I plan to dip pretzels in peanut butter & Nutella whilst watching the Chinese grand prix before church...and drink lots of wine at my cousin's house in the evening).
It's been a reasonably lazy week so far- picnics, parks, friends and a bit of housework and gardening. Enjoying time off work with my kids, but Holy Week really kicks in today for me. Preaching at both Maundy Thursday eucharist services and attending a service at the hospital chapel in between. The house work needs to step up a gear too!!

Remember more

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but I used to have the most marvelous memory- I could remember all sorts of random nonsense. Then I had kids. These days I'm doing well if we all leave the house wearing shoes.
I thought I could memorise something holy today, like a prayer or favourite hymn, but I settled on something way more fun- my favourite never-fail brownie recipe. Just ask if you want to know it!

Be more encouraging/Live more simply

Two in one blog as I forgot on Saturday! It is really hard work to write the blog when I've worked a 14 hour day, and not achieved the task! I do have a box of stuff to take to the charity shop, so hopefully I can get it there this week. I'm always trying and failing to declutter, but I suspect most of our clutter would be of little use to anyone else.
Today's task was to be more encouraging. It's the first day of the Easter hols for us and I let the kids have a onesie day whilst I tidied up, so not much opportunity for encouragement. It's also the first day of Holy Week and to mark this at St Michael's we had a Tenebrae service.
At this service candles are slowly extinguished so the service ends in near darkness apart from the paschal candle. I was reading at the service (& extinguishing candles!) and Faith decided she wanted to come- I try to encourage her with services that are different to what she's used to. She did a fab job of welcoming- for which Vicki and I gave her praise and encouragement. It was an incredibly moving service.
As far as Jacob was concerned today I tried to encourage him to eat his evening meal. I was not successful!

Be aware of others

I very often go around in a little bubble when I'm out and about. I'm pretty task focused so making the effort to take in the people around me today was really good for me.
I decided I wanted to (mostly) pray for people I didn't know- random strangers in the supermarket, those serving me in shops and also someone I know but wouldn't usually think about praying for.
Thinking about the people you encounter casually, who you know nothing about, helps you to see them as more than a passing stranger. You remember them,  you hope they had an ok day and you hope they're not going through difficult things in their lives.
Praying for them not knowing their circumstances can be tricky so I usually use a prayer which goes along the lines of:
"Father God, I thank you for this person and I pray that they may have wholeness of body, mind and spirit, and that they feel an awareness of your love at work in their lives. Amen."

Smile More

Today was all about giving away lots of smiles, which I think I did- a few cackles too! The staff in the Co-op gave me a funny look, and Vicky was suspicious when she walked into church this morning to find me cackling away with Mavis. 
Most importantly I've felt like smiling. I feel ridiculously joyous at the moment! Maybe it's that Spring is finally in Flixton,  or the prospect of school holidays and time off work. It might be because it's Easter next week, always my favourite time of year.
Whatever the reason I'm just enjoying it, and hoping other people are too!

Be more thoughtful

I nailed today's task- I had it planned and in the bag last week. I procured tickets for my priest, Vicky, to go to a lecture her hero Rowan Williams is giving at Chester Cathedral. I felt very pleased with myself.
What I wasn't prepared for today were things that other people would do that would result in me having one of my happiest days in weeks- possibly months. This wasn't however through their thoughtfulness, more just a meeting of circumstance.
It was my kids' school Easter service at our church this morning. My daughter sang Whistle Down The Wind with her choir so beautifully that the tears were flowing, as they did when her friend George sang his solo, and when she was singing with her three best friends- and I cried when the whole school were singing! My proudest moment however was when Faith's whole class did a presentation about the LLLL challenges they had embraced. I couldn't believe that something which started with me and my two kids on our Lent journey last year had spread through these 30 plus families- to think how many people were now introduced to LLLL and what small changes might be going on in people's lives because of it was pretty overwhelming.
After that I was just overcome with happiness and joviality and pretty much laughed through the rest of my day! Work was a delight- colleagues and patients awesome- and my hubby has just presented me with a big mug of noodle soup.
Today was a good day.

Be more welcoming

The task I knew I would fail from the start is finally here. I really hoped an opportunity would arrive and I wouldn't fail, but fail I did.
It's not that I'm not hospitable- I hope anyone that's been on the receiving end of my hospitality would go away feeling well fed, watered and content.
One problem is that the house of two people who work full time, have two young children and are both training for ministry is (in our case) a place of chaos- not where I'd want to invite someone. So I thought I might see someone I could invite for a coffee elsewhere, but it wasn't to be.
I will make an effort to try and fulfil this task at some point- I feel like it's still hanging over my head from last year.

Be still

I'm only just finding my moment of stillness, as I settle down to sleep. Life is so hectic and so full that stillness is hard to achieve, yet it's so much easier to perceive God's presence when you slow down, be still, just breathe and listen.

Share more

I was really really looking forward to today's task. For about four years my husband was on a gluten free diet, the beginning of which coincided with my finishing an eighteen month course which had dominated most of my free time. Having more free time and a husband with dietary needs meant I went all Sylvia Plath and starting baking like a lunatic! I loved it and I turned out to be a reasonable home baker. What I loved to most was sharing what I'd made at work.
Since starting my ordination training baking has gone right out of the window. The pleasure of spending an evening locked in the kitchen, no one else allowed to enter my private domain, has for the time being been put on hold. I did manage a few Christmas treats and a birthday cake for my daughter. I vaguely remember baking brownies for my course mates quite early on.
The last truly extravagant bake I made was my husband's 40th birthday cake back in early September.
All this back story is my rather convoluted way of revealing I failed at yesterday's task. Thursday and Friday were way too busy to bake and I worked all day yesterday. Glad to report the kids baked with my mum, and shared their treats with their other grandparents. We did have sharing treats at work as our lovely student Leanne brought lovely things on her last day.
I do have biscuits to share at today's Family Praise service...does that count?!

Think more positively

Hopefully most people that know me would agree I'm a fairly positive person. I don't think I'm much of a wallower (although I can be rather irritable and grumbly) and, generally, when adversity is thrown my way I tackle it head on. I think I'm an incredibly fortunate person so this makes me incredibly grateful and thankful.
My husband is a pessimist who believes I have enough positivity for us both. I like to think we complement each other!
When applying to be selected for ordination you have to write out a list of all the major events in your life which have affected, shaped and formed you into the person you are. I found this the most difficult part of the entire process but it made me realise two things.
Firstly it's our negative experiences, and our response to them, which affect and shape us the most. Secondly I'm really thankful for those negative experiences because without them I'd not be me.
Bad things happen, bad things happen all the time for no apparent reason- working with life limiting illnesses makes that more than apparent- but I'd much rather be a "why not me" person than a "why me" person.

Slow down

Late blog! Late night last night- went to Asda after college, because it's the only opportunity I've had to do the shopping this week, because slowing down is such a rarity.
I sat down to read my text book yesterday afternoon and I had to fight nodding off, because the only time I sit and stop is bedtime! I don't know if it's a sign of our time, because I'm in training or because I have young children (probably a combination of the above) but there's always something to do, and usually not enough hours in the day- hence why I live in chaos.
Life was busy enough before I stated training, but I knew what I was letting myself in for.
Mealtimes are generally something rushed when I'm on my own- and breakfast doesn't always happen. It didn't happen until 11.30 yesterday as I didn't have time before the school run, had my training incumbent supervision (coffee with Vicky) at 9 and then church at 10.15.
I was more than ready when I got home. I made some banana pancakes, topped them with berries and honey and snuggled into the sofa to enjoy them (I usually sit at the dining table/office/mess of paperwork). I really enjoyed them.