My weekly gratitude journal, of sorts.
1. HR and I attending a very cool “high tea” here in Savannah with daughter Amy and ex-wife Donna.
2. Wisteria in Savannah!
Can you smell it?!
3. Being able (at least occasionally) to “let things go.”
4. On our recent trip to Baltimore, Robert being reunited with some of his artwork from his childhood.
No, no, don’t try to buy it. It’s priceless!
5. Deviled eggs.
May your weekend smell better than wisteria and taste better than deviled eggs!
Walking down an alley near me here in Savannah this morning, I came across this …
It struck me, immediately, as beautiful.
What a wonderful Easter service at our Asbury Memorial Church this morning here in Savannah.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
One: We believe in God:
All: who is older than eternity,and younger than our next breath; who is beyond describing, yet knows us all by name; who inspires faith,yet cannot be contained by religion.
One: We believe in Jesus Christ, flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone:
All: He came in the body to give worth to every human life. He touched the untouchable, loved the unlovable, forgave the unforgivable, and endured slander, persecution, and death in order that through suffering love God’s kingdom might come on earth. He rose from the grave as living proof that what is laid down in faith will be raised in glory
One: We believe in the Holy Spirit:
All: who leads us into truth and freedom, who gives good gifts to all God’s children, who inspires research, enables prayer, and wills that human economics and politics should prioritize justice, care of the earth, and the healing of nations.
One: We celebrate the potential of the Church:
All: the life in our bodies, the yearning in our souls, the promise of good things in store, and the opportunity to love and serve one another.
Amen.
Water, River, Spirit, Grace,
Sweep over me, Sweep over me!
Recarve the depths your fingers traced
In sculpting me, in sculpting me.
HR and I hope that you are having a peaceful Easter 2024.
Tonight was the fourth and final Taize service at our church, Asbury Memorial, in Savannah. Next on the Christian liturgical calendar is this weekend’s Palm Sunday.
(Here’s a link to my first post about Taize, with a bit of explanation about what it’s all about: https://nealenjoy.com/2024/02/28/taize/)
Tonight’s final service was again splendidly simple and peace filled.
The emphasis was upon Living Water.
From the order of service:
“After Pope John Paul Il visited the ecumenical, monastic Taizé community in France in 1986, he said:
One passes through Taizé as one passes close to a spring of water. The traveler stops, quenches his thirst, and continues on his way. The brothers of the community do not want to keep you.
They want, in prayer and silence, to enable you to drink the living water promised by Christ, to know his joy, to discern his presence, to respond to his call, then to set out again to witness to his love and to serve your brothers and sisters in your parishes, your schools, your universities, and in all your places of work.
So come into this place of peace & let its silence heal your spirit;
Come into this place of memory & let its history warm your soul;
Come into this place of prophecy & power & let its vision change your heart.”
CHANT: Let all who are thirsty come. Let all who wish receive the water of life freely. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
May the peace that passeth understanding, the peace of God, which the world can neither give nor take away, be among us, and abide in our hearts. Amen.
Marveling this morn, thinking back on the church Robert and I walked past on a walk near our Airbnb in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville over the weekend.
It’s Romanesque and Byzantine architecture first caught our eyes. But then the large sign out front sparkled in joyfully inclusive welcome.
Look closer …
Thank you, Riverside. You are a Marvel.
So last year, Robert and I joined Georgia’s uber-cool Farm Passport Program.
“The Farm Passport is your guide to discover Georgia, support local farms and experience fresh food. Grab your passport and let it guide you across the state to see the diversity of agriculture Georgia offers.
The Farm Passport features over 90 farms included in Georgia Farm Bureau’s Certified Farm Markets program, which was created to help people discover where their food comes from, meet the farm families who grew the food, and create lasting memories with loved ones as they travel the state.” Farm Bureau, GA
We had a blast and visited 22 Georgia Farms.
Last weekend we made a little trip to Macon to pick up our prizes and to explore old town Macon a bit.
Here I am with one of the leaders of the Passport Program.
And look! Here I am with HR and our nifty new Farm Traveler T-shirts. (After all, remember, it’s T-shirt Tuesday.)
And here are a few images from our time in Macon, which by the way is (was?) my birthplace.
The cool ceiling of our Airbnb …
I love this current liturgical season of Lent on the Christian calendar. For me, it’s a time to calm down, quiet down, and reflect before the exuberant excitement of Easter.
For the four Wednesdays before Palm Sunday, the church that Robert and I attend, Asbury Memorial here in Savannah, holds brief and beautifully simple Taize services.
“The Taizé prayer service is from an interfaith community founded in Taizé, France in 1940. A Taizé service provides a meditative style of song and prayer known for its simplicity and focus on Christ. Today the Taizé community comprises those of Catholic and Protestant backgrounds from regions around the globe. At a Taizé service we pray as we sing, as we reflect on the Scripture reading, as we sit in silence, and as we offer our prayers to Christ.” jaxcathedral.org
Whatever your belief, or lack of, may Peace be your Portion at this time of year.
Here is a neat article with more info about Taize, if you are in the slightest bit interested …
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/a-look-at-the-taize-community/?amp
Yes!
Here’s the article …
https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/12/sport/taghi-askar-100-year-old-diver-spt-intl?cid=ios_app
