This is my first Holy Week to not be leading a parish in over twenty five years.
It is another new walk as a person who happens to be a priest.
Holy Week began for me on this past Friday. The Mission Amplification Team does an outreach project once a quarter, and on Friday we served lunch at The Beacon, a ministry of the Diocese of Texas with the people who live on the streets of downtown Houston.
We helped finish the preparations for the lunch which was certainly restaurant worthy, and then filled trays as the men and women walked through the line. I was the last person in the serving line, and the choices I offered were tomatoes, croutons, thousand island dressing, and ranch dressing.
I had been reminded in my morning time of prayer that all we meet we treat as Christ, and so I was intentional as I greeted each person– to look them in the eye and smile. Sometimes we even had time for a brief conversation.
It was Holy Communion.
This morning I went to Palm Sunday worship at my local church. In the familiarity of the liturgy, there were portions that were different from my last twenty or so years of Palm Sunday liturgy.
I am in new unfamiliar familiar territory.
I am having lunch with friends today, an event I scheduled because I wasn’t responsible for worship.
I’m planning to end the day with Evensong at another local church.
Not in charge, I am walking with Jesus.
This will be a Holy Week.
House of Grace 
This is beautiful. Not just the words but the reality. I have not been ordained as long as you, Beth, but I had thought it would be my first Holy Week not to serve as a deacon. And then, surprise! I have a church community as of this morning and am invited to chant the Exsultet around a fire pit in a missional priest’s backyard. O God of surprises and steadfast love!
LikeLike