Ghost of Easters Past

“When it was evening on that day…. Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’”

It happened on a Good Friday evening, not long ago. My wife and I were visiting the church of a friend and colleague. We sat in the grand old sanctuary, soaking in the new-yet-familiar sights and sounds of the Passion Liturgy.

Then, as sometimes happens during worship, my mind began to wander. Roving eyes flitted over the interior of the building: the organ pipes, the dark oak panels against white plaster, the warm colours of stained glass.

Finally, my gaze rested on a feature of the stained glass window – a crown, the ancient symbol of the Christ and his not-of-this-world realm. The simple beauty of the image, the way the evening sunlight brought out the deep scarlet… these had the effect of transporting me to the Church where I spent my childhood.  I relived hours of contemplation, the joyful music, the easy friendships – all came flooding back.  In that moment I saw with inward eyes the sheer beauty of my spiritual legacy: the inestimable gift that is life nurtured in a faith community.

PRAYER                                                       Jewish Traditional

Days pass

And the years vanish

And we walk sightless among miracles

God fill our eyes with seeing

And our minds with knowing

Let there be moments

When your presence like lighting illumines the darkness

In which we walk

Help us to see wherever we gaze

That the bush burns unconsumed

And we

Clay touched by God

Will reach out for holiness

And exclaim in wonder

How filled with awe is this place

And we did not know it

Amen