HOLY WEEK 2020: From Bishop Alan Scarfe
Dear Beloved in Christ,
Staying at home for Holy Week, in response to the coronavirus, leads us into an experience of these holy times like nothing else we are likely to know again in our lifetimes. We are taken back into days as close as any to what this week must have been for Jesus and His followers. Even Easter Day was not a triumphant experience. They didn’t decorate the Upper Room with lilies; or bring out the finest silverware for presenting bread and wine. The nearest thing was ointment, or myrrh, which the women who set off to the tomb brought with them to prepare Christ’s body for burial. The rest of the group hid behind locked doors, terrified at what might come next, and shocked and angry at what had happened. All that Jesus had told them about being crucified had unbelievingly happened. And none of them sat around calm remembering that He did say something about rising again on the third day.
No, the circumstances were dire. The outcome was grim; and it was Easter Day, even if they didn’t know it. God invites us this year to get serious with our faith. God is taking us back to the original experience, and Jesus invites us to “Come and See.” It is a rare moment that faces us these next eight days. Don’t let it pass you by. Take a look at what the churches are offering online and map out your devotional path. Take the time you are given to look deeply into the Passion of Jesus, and see how much God loves you. Call up your neighbors and friends and send them links, and invite them to come and see as well.
Yesterday I managed (eventually after some digital missteps) to join with more than fifteen members of Church of the Good Shepherd, Webster City and Grace, Boone, for compline. And this afternoon (April 2) I am going to bible study with students at Cornell College and their Chaplain, Catherine Quel-Engel. There were invitations to several webinars, which I couldn’t make. The Church body is opening itself up to one another even as the government has asked us to distance ourselves physically. You will not have a time like this again. Our God turns things that are devastating to good, because God’s love always wins out.
We owe so much to our Communications Missioner, Meg Wagner, for her tireless efforts to keep us linked together. She is pulling resources from across the Church Global and leaving them on our digital doorsteps. Please, don’t neglect such an opportunity; now is always the day of salvation.
One idea for Palm Sunday is to find your own version of a palm branch and display it decoratively on your front door. Put Christ is Risen signs in your garden or windows. Write your Alleluias in chalk on your driveways on Easter Day. And let people know that you are praying with them and for them to God who is always journeying with us in the Way of Love.
In the peace and love of Christ,
+Alan Scarfe
The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, Bishop of Iowa
Holy Week and Easter
ALL of these services will be found on the diocesan Facebook page,the diocesan Youtube channel, and will be available on the diocesan website. Call-in option for members who only have access to phones (participants on the phone will NOT be able to be heard but will be able to hear the service): 312 626 6799 and enter the Meeting ID as prompted: 365 765 527#
