Time out

Sally posted the Friday Five this week with this wonderful graphic of Mary and Martha. She writes:

Holy Week is almost upon us, I suspect that ordained or not, other revgal/pals calendars look a bit like mine, FULL, FULL, FULL........

Jesus was great at teaching us to take time out, even in that last week, right up to Maundy Thursday he withdrew, John's gospel tells us he hid! He hid not because he was afraid, but because he knew that he needed physical, mental and spiritual strength to get through...

So faced with a busy week:


1. What restores you physically?
A walk by the river or a spell at the gym
2. What strengthens you emotionally/ mentally?
Beauty - in nature or in art
3. What encourages you spiritually?
Liturgy (I am almost familiar with the Mass now and loving it) scripture, personal prayer
4. Share a favourite poem or piece of music from the coming week.
I found this the other day at Jan's place and it is accompanying me along this part of the Lenten journey

Salvation

By what are you saved? And how?
Saved like a bit of string,
tucked away in a drawer?
Saved like a child rushed from
a burning building, already
singed and coughing smoke?
Or are you salvaged
like a car part -- the one good door
when the rest is wrecked?

Do you believe me when I say
you are neither salvaged nor saved,
but salved, anointed by gentle hands
where you are most tender?
Haven't you seen
the way snow curls down
like a fresh sheet, how it
covers everything,
makes everything
beautiful, without exception?

by Lynn Ungar

5.There may be many services for you to attend/ lead over the next week, which one are you most looking forward to and why? If there aren't do you have a favourite day in Holy week if so which one is it?
This is quite a hard question as I realise that I view the week as a whole and don't really pick out any specific days. I am most looking forward to 'doing' (I don't know the right verb) the Stations of the Cross in the campus church - not sure which day I will manage it but probably Wed or Thurs. And for Easter itself we are flying to Fiji for the weekend so it will be really interesting to first find a church and then to discover how Easter is celebrated in a different culture. Watch this space!