Virtual Holy Week

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Time is passing so strangely right now.  In March, it seemed that more than we could take in transpired daily.  By April, our strange new reality had begun to set in, but weeks pass so slowly it's still difficult to fathom all that happens in 7 days.  

While some people have reported being bored during this time of social isolation and government mandate to stay home, those people do not have 3 children they are responsible for homeschooling suddenly on top of normal house responsibilities---which have actually increased because everyone is home ALL OF THE TIME, creating more mess and wanting more food.  And while some jobs have slowed, work in the church world has only increased as we overnight had to learn how to minister to the masses online---whether they are currently online or not!  

All of that is to say that Lent and Holy Week felt very different this year.  Try as we did to focus on the reason for the season, we just all felt adrift.  I can't help but wonder if He is trying to get the entire world to.stop.and.pay.attention....pay attention to HIM, not all of the rest of it. 

How about virtual palm waving with homemade branches?!?  Perfect for Olivet's worship videos and virtual passing of the peace!

All Glory, Laud and Honor

 Meadows asked Andrew to participate in their Easter service with a video testimony of what Easter means to him.  Between writing, rehearsing,  recording, and editing, it was a 3-hour project!  Perfect non-academic homeschooling for the day (although I'll give you one guess who played the teacher vs. student roles when it came to all things electronic in this process!).

 We are all SO grateful that Michael is only traveling one day/week now, though Thursdays have turned into the long day.  While he is primarily on administrative floors of the building, he is still under the same roof with patients and shares stairwells and cafeterias with the doctors and nurses treating them.  Not on the front lines, by any means, but still unnerving to have your work day start with a questionnaire, your temperature taken, instructions to bleach your shoes, and being handed a required mask.     

One upside to this unprecedented time is the humor that has emerged.  Well before Easter, national orders banned congregations of more than 10 people, and those needed to remain 6' apart, preferably wearing masks. With the closure of most things professional and personal, life has moved to Zoom calls/meetings.  Jesus had to move Maundy Thursday to Zoom, or else uninvite 2 of the disciples!    

 We participated in Wellshire's Maundy Thursday service and communion.  Rev. Katie thoughtfully reminded us that bread and wine were originally used because of their abundance and routine consumption in evening meals, so that anything should do for our home renditions.  (We had grape juice with the kids, but from what I've heard, everyone has ample wine at home these days!).

And then came the darkness, decorated by the light.

Olivet's Good Friday service moving through the 7 Last Words was incredibly poignant and very thoughtfully done. 

And, yep.  We had supper along without Communion.  

It was a solemn evening for Molly and Penny, too.  

Easter Saturday, we gave the kids a well-deserved break from the solemn end to the week and crossed the street to launch the rocket Michael recently built.  

 And....SUCCESS!

 It's hard to tell in the video, but the rocket was UP THERE!  We thought the parachute was a gonner, but Andrew and I happened upon it on they way to let the girls swim before we headed home.  Unbelievable given the acres and acres in the Meadow! 

 Three or four years ago, Andrew asked to attend our sunrise service at Meadows.  He enjoyed the experience so much we've gone ever since.  Last year, we even bolted in between UVA's sunrise service (our sweet friend is instrumental in that one) and Meadows (I recommend running shoes rather than hose and heels when trying to pull that off).  

So we decided the nice thing about this year was that we could actually watch the sun rise, and from wherever we'd like!  Matthew was in on the action when I said we could just roll out of bed and go without dressing:-) 

So we scooped up Penny and headed less than 10 minutes away to one of many favorite spots on my commute.  

A side street off of Woodlands, the mountain view and opposite sunrise did not disappoint.

 The side street is adjacent to Ivy Creek Methodist (where my sweet co-worker at Olivet is the choir director and pianist).  A small and beautiful country church, they'd left their Easter cross out draped in the finest white linens & lilies intertwined with the most bold colorful flowers.  With the sunrise in the background, it was quite the glorious way to start the day. 

 Back home, there were zero objections to getting dressed in our Easter best for our online serviceS:-)

Hot cross buns are our new tradition, accompanied by the boys' egg-sausage casserole made on their own! 

We typically have Easter brunch at church in between services, but it was kind of sweet to be at home with each other and our own things:-)

 We enjoyed Olivet's seamless service, bits of Meadows' various recordings that we could get to upload (including Andrew's piece), and parts of Wellshire's.  Wellshire prepared most of their service virtually, but included their Charge from 2019's service....their choir and orchestra's Hallelujah Chorus.  Stunning originally, it was impossible to remain tearless this year.  So very many emotions these days.  

Mid-afternoon, we delivered Easter lilies on behalf of Olivet to those that live alone or do not have internet access.  I cannot imagine how isolating that must feel right now, but each of them were so touched by our drop-and-run.  It was lovely that the church still coordinated this.  

With no public egg hunts this year (love this memory...)

 

....they had to settle for just one hunt at home.  But boy, was it good.  Mom's still got it!  Taught from the best (or most infuriating) of course!

Then is was time to Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!  We had the Killians and the Fergusons back-to-back, so it was a long stretch of screen time, but good to "see" everyone.  

Finally, in the dark, we were able complete celebratory feast #2 complete with steak, shrimp, risotto and asparagus.  

John 11:25-26: "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live...and will never die.”