Lenten Holy Solitude retreat 2018

Betty Hollister writes: Suspended.  Waiting.  Frozen.  On this Saturday we are caught between the agony of the crucifixion and the glory of resurrection.  In some traditions today is called Holy Saturday, Black Saturday, Sad Saturday, or even Silent Saturday.  I think I like Silent Saturday best.  For many today is the day to color the eggs and start cooking the Easter feast. But this study has certainly reminded us that whatever you call this day, it should be a time to reflect on how alone the “human Jesus” must have felt. This entire Lenten study has led up to this moment.  This week Haverkamp stresses the outcomes of solitude. She reminds us of the social changes influenced by people like Martin Luther King, Jr. or Nelson Mandela who wrote about freedom, peace and justice while they were being denied those very concepts during confinement.  Perhaps one of Haverkamp’s most moving contributions is the one about solitary confinement.  The quote from Five Omar Mualimmak-Ak,  “I was

I don’t know how to feel today. I wasn’t sure what to expect at worship last evening, but I just knew I had to be there. To be with my community of faith and share the feast of the Lord’s Supper. For those of you able to be there, it was a feast, wasn’t it? A feast of bread and cup, of music, of psalms, of inspiration, reminding us that these words the words on our Lord’s lips as he died. Which brings us to today. I just don’t what I am supposed to feel. I am raw and the emotions are close to the surface. At work I couldn’t concentrate, so I busied myself with cleaning up until it was time to go to church. Noontime. I am grateful for noon worship services. The time when our Lord was on the cross, we gathered to remember. To remember our part in all of this. But also, to remember his love. Were you there? Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And yet, I am home, having been with my people remembering and I remember that Christ was on the cross

From Eric Corbin... As I write, I have just returned from the joint Good Friday service with First Methodist Church.  Their pastor read from Luke's account of the crucifixion of Jesus, ending at verse 34 of chapter 23: "Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.'"  We also heard a wonderful soloist sing from "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" the haunting words "We didn't know it was you." I'm reminded of this meme: I think we all feel that way sometimes, maybe often.  We don't know what we're doing in our families, our jobs, in our churches.  On this day, though, we must reflect specifically on the cross and our role in Jesus' death; on how we don't know what we're doing when it comes to Jesus. "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" continues: You have shown us how And we are trying Master you have shown us how Even when you were dying Just seems like we can't do right Lo

Posting from Rachel Matthews - Two Tuesdays ago I sat quietly thinking about Catherine of Siena and her three by nine foot closet. I thought how her resistance, her intense desire to be a contemplative nun rather than marry, her harsh behaviors and significant visions of Jesus might be interpreted if she were to have lived today. She might be considered a rebellious youth, a young woman fighting covertly against the hierarchical systems of her day. She might have been diagnosed by a mental health professional as someone with OCD or ODD behaviors. Someone might have questioned her attitude and behaviors as a response to trauma as a young child and who is now having intense emotional reactions to that trauma as a teenager. How was it that God was given credit for her self violence and strong inclination toward justice for others. It is curious to me. Perhaps all things do work toward good for those that love the Lord. Perhaps God gets credit for the redemption of her life and not the p

Solitary confinement is one of the harshest treatments in prison life. Researching the intersection of faith and solitary confinement, the image of a person stretching out her arms to demonstrate how large the cell was struck me. If one stands upright with arms outstretched to touch the walls, the image is reminiscent of crucifixion. Religious workers are trying to reduce the amount of time prisoners are able to be sentenced to spend in solitary. One article noted:  “Once you’ve stood inside the cell and heard the sounds of an actual solitary confinement unit echoing in your very being, it becomes very hard to forget or to ignore,” said the Rev. Kate Edwards, a Zen Buddhist in Madison, Wis. “The reality that solitary confinement is a loud and torturous living hell simply becomes undeniable.” http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/interfaith-activists-call-solitary-confinement-immoral-ineffective/article_e9ca8716-bb60-5f7d-a4dd-355b5a95108e.html Nelson Mandela, who

Monday – Holy Week Daniel is one character from the Old Testament that remains predominantly the lore of children’s stories. I remember singing with my kids the catchy children’s songs when the lessons would come home from Sunday School. Daniel as a character for adults though is not often considered. The story is colorful, full of wonderful descriptions and has a clear moral lesson…be true to God and God will rescue the faithful. In reading today, I have to admit my white point of view, when I never considered (as the book reminds us) how slave spirituals would hold up Daniel as a man of God and hope for their desperate situations. In our world today (and especially with so much news coming at us 24 hours a day with the most salacious details getting national news) people who live with integrity and follow as God commands are not lifted up at all. Two quotes from author Havercamp stood out to me today: “The story of Daniel is about being who God made us to be and knowing