March 2008
When the Centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus (on the cross) saw the earthquake . . . they were filled with awe, and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54.
The diocesan convention this year was in Jonesboro . We met on the campus of Arkansas State University and one of our worship services was at St. Mark's, where Brenda and I were parishioners for thirteen years before I went to seminary. As I walked into that church the memories of many happy events flooded my mind. In the center of the aisle there was the baptismal font where both our children had been baptized. I saw the communion rail where we knelt down and received communion and where our toddler son got his head stuck on one Sunday. There was the chain for the Advent wreath I helped hang. I sat and recalled all those festive worship services on Christmas Eve and on Easter morning.
We stayed with friends and had a chance to visit with other friends, many we had not seen in over twenty years! When you have lived in Jonesboro it doesn't take too long in any conversation to start recalling the tornado of ___, or the earthquake of ____. Tornadoes and earthquakes are annual events. Because the city sits on the Madrid Fault and there is always the threat of a major earthquake similar to the quake of 1812 that changed the course of the Mississippi River and caused it to flow upstream for several days.
Sometimes natural events help to remember how vulnerable we are in this world and help propel us to our knees and remember who we are and who we are not. Certainly the Centurion standing at the foot of cross needed such an experience to tell him that he had just been a part of the crucifixion of the Son of God. But we don't have to wait around for a natural disaster to get our attention. We have the gift of Lent and Holy Week. We have to opportunity to “steal” some of our precious time from our schedules and reflect on what it might be like to live in a world without Jesus and without a church community of support and love. Lent, especially Holy Week calls us to a time of reflection on our life of prayer and all the good memories when we experienced the presence of God in our lives in times of chaos and confusion. Reflect on those moments of sudden peace in the midst of great upheavals and storms in our lives.
One of the “aha” moments for me at the recent convention was during a workshop on sacred music. The point was made that the purpose of music in the church was to lift up our spirits into the presence of God and in order to do that all worshippers can participate in that experience including those who claim they can not sing. But, we can all hum. Humming the hymns including those we don't know can involve us in a transcendent experience Sunday after Sunday. We become more fully participants in our worship experience and not spectators and that can make all the difference in the world. Even a quiet hum is better than no hum at all! Try it. You just may be amazed at what a difference it could make.
Fr. Ken †
