Friday Five: Holy Week, Batman!

Reverendmother posts this week's Friday Five

Well, the Clergy Superbowl is almost upon us, and so, I offer up this Friday Five (with apologies for the irreverent title):

1. Will this Sunday be Palms only, Passion only, or hyphenated? I like hyphenated, since in my current mode of existence I can't always schedule Good Friday services for both churches. Got to get Passion in there somehow --cannot skip from Palms to Easter, no, no, no, no, no!

2. Maundy Thursday Footwashing: Discuss. I have done footwashing services --made damn sure I trimmed my toenails and pummiced off the callouses first too. Made sure that everyone knew it was a footwashing service well in advance so they could do the same.

Isn't it interesting how so many of us have such issues with our feet? If it is indeed true that the hebrew word for foot served as a euphemism for genitalia, [for instance in the story of Ruth and Boaz' romance, some commentators have suggested that it was not his actual feet she uncovered] I certainly intuit why. At any rate, how we treat our feet is probably one of the most reliable markers for how well we do self care ... and how comfortable we are with our bodies.

Jesus' feet were his main mode of transport and took him all sorts of interesting places, on rough and rocky roads and terrain. I can just imagine the callouses, bunions, blisters, corns ... It is significant to me that, after Mary anoints Jesus' feet [how good, how refreshing that must have been for him!], Jesus follows Mary's example and washes the feet of his disciples. Their feet, after all, were probably in a similar state to his own. The lesson he taught was about discipleship as servanthood --but among the lesson's blessings was the refreshment of the experience. [I bet Peter secretly enjoyed it, after so much bluster ...]

I have done handwashing services in lieu of footwashing services. I have given participants the option to choose one or the other, hands in one line, feet in another.

I have done Tenebrae services instead.

Wonder what I will do this year?

3. Share a particularly meaningful Good Friday worship experience.

When I discovered

http://cgfa.dotsrc.org/dali/p-dali18.htm

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/grunewald/crucifixion/crucifixion.jpg On this one, pay close attention to the hands


4. Easter Sunrise Services--choose one:
a) "Resurrection tradition par excellence!"
b) "Eh. As long as it's sunrise with coffee, I can live with it."
c) "[Yawn] Can't Jesus stay in the tomb just five more minutes, Mom?!?"

How about choice D --I just love someone's else Sunrise service. ;)

5. Complete this sentence: It just isn't Easter without...

Easter is one of those holidays that engenders homesickness for me. My large, multi-generational extended family, who, with one notable exception [me, up here in Michigan], all live within a 3 hour drive of each other in Texas, gathers at my brother's house. There's a ginormous easter egg hunt for all the third generation kiddoes. Adults hide the eggs, and have been known to pelt each other with the candy eggs. Adults surreptitously consume the chocolate covered maple nut eggs --there's quite the competition for those. Then we loose the hordes of children. Adults hover and give clues ["You're getting warmer ... warmer ... you are hot ... you are on fire!"].

Next we BBQ ... and make scads of devilled eggs. Then we sit around patting our tummies ... or attempt to bring the sugar-high kiddoes down from the ceiling ...

Bonus: Any Easter Vigil aficionados out there?