Holy Cross 
“Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires know, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord”.
Amen
Watching my nieces and their children playing together on the beach year after year, I remember the first steps my sisters, brother and I took into chilly Atlantic waters growing up together. The colliding power of waves, our young bold bodies defying gravity, hair bleached out a striking contrast to the browning of our skin. These days I wonder, how will they change as they age and model change for their own children? I wonder if we’ll be able to have our yearly gathering this summer amidst the changes and chances of our life together?
The Officiant’s words at the beginning of the service of Holy Eucharist, which we surely miss sharing together in-person, kept seeping into my subconscious and then more consciously this morning. This left me wondering, what does God see?
- Surely God is beyond merely projecting the divine Self onto us, made in that divine image though we are!
- What does One see, for whom “all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid”?
- When Good looks at us, does God know the same mix of delight tinged with anxiety and some little sprinkling of sadness that I feel when I watch these beautiful children in the moment of unselfconscious ecstatic play?
What might it mean to live in relationship with God who is so utterly gracious and loving that God knows our desires even before we do, recognizes God’s own humanity amidst our most secret thoughts and feelings, and views our innermost selves as though totally transparent—and yet smiles, even if perhaps sometimes sadly, and loves us with that power that is life itself?
I will be exploring this more deeply in preparation for the Palm Sunday sermon, while looking forward to hearing Pati Mary’s sermon being prepared for us, this upcoming 5th Sunday of Lent. She is diving deep into Johns Gospel, Chapter 11:1-45. Another long reading that will be read in parts as you saw/heard on the Holy Cross U-tube this past Sunday.
The artwork of our worship team this past Sunday blessed us with their music and artistry. Let us tune in together @ 10, following our gathering with Wayne @ 9 as he continues to guide us through Bonhoeffer’s Life Together.
Blessed Love blessing you, Nancy+