Claimed, gathered and sent

We celebrated the Easter Vigil tonight at Grace Lutheran Church in Petersburg, WV.   I have participated in a number of Vigil services, but this is the first time I have been on the planning side. Many months ago, Pr. Larry asked Ray to do the Easter Proclamation or Exsultet part of the service, which is a lengthy chanted section. He has been rehearsing daily since that time and did a fine job tonight.  It is also the first time in several years that Grace has celebrated the Vigil. To some, it was the first time ever. Many participated in various ways to make this a rich reminder of all that God has done throughout salvation history. One of the members built the fire that began our time together. Others were lectors declaring the Word (we did only 4 Old Testament readings), others were ushers, and we had a wonderful organist as well.  It was a joyful excursion from the tomb to the celebration of resurrection. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Google Images

We had a service of Holy Communion yesterday at the Grant County Nursing Home. Pr. Cantu asked me to do the homily and this is what I shared with the residents. Have any of you ever experienced a power failure? You scramble around the house to get the candles, lanterns, and flashlights. It can be pretty scary. In the 1980s, I lived in Bethlehem in the Holy Land. Sometimes the electricity would go out. We didn’t always know how long it would be out for—20 minutes, a couple of hours or even days.  When it is pitch dark, even the smallest bit of flickering light from a candle can have an impact. I can think of numerous times when I cooked by candlelight, ate by candlelight, and did dishes by candlelight. We even read or played board games by candlelight. If enough candles are gathered together, you’d be surprised how much light they can give. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a b