Stain Glass Lens of the 21st Century

Category: Easter

  • Messy Resurrection

    Messy Resurrection

    It is amazing how much can change in only a few days. 

    Our backyard transformed from a white oasis of untouched snow into a quagmire of brown water and a thick mucky mess.  For the next week we tried everything from car washing gloves picked up at the Dollar Store to a ‘Paw Washing Cup’ purchased at the pet shop. But no matter what we did muddy paw prints were continually trailed throughout the house.  Finally, out of complete frustration we took a few tall garden stakes along with some snow fencing and circled off the muddy part of the backyard. 

    What happened next was completely unexpected.

    We didn’t notice the transformation until Holy Week and one afternoon I wandered out behind the garage to discover the muddy patch had transformed completely.  What had been the cause of much frustration now had blossomed into a cornucopia of bobbing spring jubilation; a carpet of crocuses now covered the muddy spot.

    I stood there completely stunned.  We had never planted crocuses in this muddy patch and yet, there they stood defying the cold north wind, the deep muck and the complete obscurity of the space.  How very Easter of them!

    In church we tell ourselves we are an Easter people, quoting St. Augustine who preached,   “We are an Easter people and Alleluia is our hymn of praise!”

    As those who follow Jesus not only into the Palm Parade but also through the painful mucky mess of an unthinkable crucifixion, followed by days of darkness and then back out into the light of resurrection, we are a people who live Easter lives.   

    As those who believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ we are the ones called to bring new life in areas that seem lifeless; feeding the hungry, visiting the lonely and lifting up the fallen and we do it to the glory of a Creator God, who can turn muck into life.

    We are the blooming crocuses in the muddy patches of life!

    Happy Easter,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • The Seeds Have Arrived!

    The Seeds Have Arrived!

    What an exciting day; the day the seeds arrive!  These small colourful packets bring magic and joy to an otherwise dull February day transporting me to warm afternoons spent toiling under the sun.  Each packet holds small pearls of hope.  

    The shriveled up peas, tiny radish seeds and the sprinkling of promised lettuce looks insignificant to anyone who has never coaxed life from a garden. But, to those who know of its lure, these packets harken to autumn pleasures of full fruit cellars, preserves and hanging herbs.  These tiny gems are deceptive in their power, tenacity and transformation.

    Lent is a “seedy” season; a season of great transformation.  We deliberately turn inward to examine our personal relationship with God all the while moving steadily toward a crucified death. And, like a seed planted in the dark soil, the darkness cannot stop life from emerging.   Similarly, this Lenten journey brings us to a resurrection that teaches death does not have the final word.    

    So, yes, Lent is the perfect time for the seeds to arrive! As Jesus taught, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

    May we all have a “Seedy” Lent that transforms these darken winter days to days of spring flowers, bird song and joyful celebration.

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Krista Bennett/Unsplash  

  • Dancing In The Rain

    Dancing In The Rain

    Photo by Robert Bottman (Unsplash)

    The long awaited daffodils have finally begun to bloom in my neighborhood.  I didn’t notice them until later in the day, I spied their brightness among the grey trees and wet soil.

     I pulled over at the end of the street to admire their beauty through my rain dappled windows and discovered many were dotting the wild undergrowth of the treed lot.  It seemed the darker the spot the brighter they shone; as though it was a challenge they were rising to.   

    That is the true essence of Easter, isn’t it?  To shine brightly despite the darkness; discovering the strength to rise again after defeat and to believe in new beginnings after painful endings.  It is resurrection work and only taken on by the strong of heart.     

    If we are not careful we leave the true message of Easter behind in the sanctuary with the tossed aside bulletins.  We make the mistake of thinking Easter is merely a celebratory worship service held once a year with special music and extra decorations.  We forget that Easter is a way of life, a way of living in our ordinary and everyday world.   

    We may miss the true calling of Easter which is to follow Jesus into a new life.  This newness is not void of difficulties but joyful and hope filled despite the hardships. It is living under the cloak of gratitude and confidence knowing we are truly loved and tenderly held by an amazing Creator.  It is finding the bright yellow glow of God’s presence within the rain drops and among the greyness.

    As Vivian Greene writes, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s learning to dance in the rain!” As a Resurrection People may we all remember to dance in the storms trusting we do not dance alone, assured that a loving God accompanies us all the way!

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Easter Renewal

    Easter Renewal

    Easter Sunday is almost here!  This is the day we pause in the midst of all life holds and acknowledge the power of our great Creator to “do a new thing”.  It isn’t about knowing.  It is about faith.  We don’t know what “new thing” God is about to do but we have faith it will be good. Like the women who arrived to an empty tomb, we too acknowledge the wonder, confusion and even the trepidation that goes along with God’s “new thing”.

    If I have learned anything as a Country Preacher it is that country folks know better than most how to trust in God’s “new thing”.    As the muddy days of early spring turn into days of productivity the almost barren fields turn to shades of green as neatly planted rows of seeds bud.  The once barren trees begin to fill with tiny leaves and the mucky ditches are transformed by colourful spring flowers.  Yes, this “new thing” God is up to becomes evident with each new day.

    We will gather on Good Friday to witness the uncomfortable funeral of our Savior.  We will sing the hymns ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ and ‘Were You There?’ before snuffing out the Christ Candle and leaving the sanctuary in silence.  We will return in a jubilant mood two days later!

    Easter Sunday has always been a cause for celebration!  Extra decorations are placed in the sanctuary, the black cloth on the cross is replaced by white and folks arrive with an extra spring to their step and a joyful ring to their singing. 

    This Easter we will add a new decoration to our sanctuary; two Ukrainian blown Easter Eggs.  At one church I served there was a member who came from a Ukrainian family and he had the gift of creating these beautiful eggs. Over the years I served in his church he gifted me twice with these priceless masterpieces. They have a special place in my china cabinet, but this year, in honour of our prayers and concerns for the Ukraine people, they will be placed on the Communion Table.  May they be a reminder of those who are displaced and in great need of “God’s New Thing”.

    We will gather at sunrise on the shores of Georgian Bay at the base of a cross and together, with the waves and birds, sing of God’s newness. Later in the morning we will gather again in a stain glassed sanctuary ready to lift the roof with the traditional hymn, “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today”!

    May the renewal of life at Easter bring new blessings of love, hope, peace, happiness and good health to everyone!

    Blessings,

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

  • Easter Memories

    Easter Memories

    The very first country church I served was an hour and 20-minute drive from my home which, on Easter Sunday meant I left home at 5:30 a.m. so to be on time for the 7:00 a.m. Sunrise Service.  The drive was one of my favorites all year with the morning mist rising out of the quiet fields and the soft choral music of CBC Radio playing in the background.

     We would gather in the church basement with the coffee percolating, tea brewing and a long table laden with Easter treats awaiting our return.   As the piper warmed up his bagpipes we would tighten the scarves around our necks, pull up our hoods and quietly follow  “Amazing Grace” across the road, through the cemetery and up the hill to where the statue of a soldier had been erected. 

    The cool air would warm enough to rise from our singing lips and the view of rolling country hills dotted by trees was the perfect view for this most sacred sun rise. 

    Years earlier, just after WWII, the congregation had started this Easter tradition.  It was started with the belief that Jesus’ resurrection meant all who had died would also rise some day, especially those young men lost to war. So, each Easter began with a sunrise service in the cemetery; a traditional celebration of the promise of resurrection bridging many generations.

    We would bring ourselves into worship with a prayer followed by fiddle and banjo accompanied hymns. One of the youth would read the resurrection scriptures, the minister would offer a short reflection and finally one last “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” chorus before following the piper back down to the church basement for warmed hot cross buns, homemade jam on a freshly baked tea bisque and a cup of strong coffee. 

    This year, as we celebrate our second COVID Easter, may we all be warmed by fond memories while rejoicing that the resurrection cannot be stopped even by a pandemic!

    May the power of Christ’s resurrection and the promise and hope of Easter go with us into the days ahead.  May we sing, pray, live, love, act and serve all for the glory of God. 

    May everyone have a joyous Easter, 

    Rev. Heather McCarrel

    Photo by Hugo Fergusson used with permission/ Unsplash