Rev. Valerie's Reveille

20/20 Hindsight – a phenomenon of something in the past making complete sense due to current experiences, or wishing you knew then what you know now. This is exactly what happens in our Gospel reading this coming Sunday when we revisit the events of the Last Supper, which we commemorated on Maundy Thursday four weeks ago.  While for us, unlike the apostles, all of these events are well in the past and we understand them through the lens of centuries of theology and liturgical interpretation, think about how our perspective has changed during the last four weeks.  We are in the festival season of Easter and have reclaimed our “Alleluia!”  Spring has actually sprung and the temperatures (sometimes) are beginning to feel much warmer.  We have born witness to terrible natural and human-made tragedies in Iran (earthquake), Texas and Boston.  How do we hear the words, “Love one another as I have loved you” differently in light of these current realities?  ...

Once again we are reminded of just how fragile our lives are when a premier event in our American narrative becomes the backdrop to the reality of evil in our midst. While our hearts and prayers are lifted up for those who died, were injured or traumatized from being in Boston yesterday, we stand with our resurrected Lord and proclaim the Good News, especially in the chaos. Our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Shori offered this prayer from a peace conference she is attending in Japan: Gracious God, you walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death. We pray that the suffering and terrorized be surrounded by the incarnate presence of the crucified and risen one. May every human being be reminded of the precious gift of life you entered to share with us. May our hearts be pierced with compassion for those who suffer, and for those who have inflicted this violence, for your love is the only healing balm we know. May the dead be received into your enfolding arms, and may ...