“RELAX, THE LITURGY WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF!” said the faithful elder at the end of the service.

Suddenly I realized the anxiety I had been feeling about church attendance, more specifically a precipitous drop in church attendance, had begun to affect my attitude and behavior in worship. As a worship leader, this change apparently had become palpable to members in the pew and had serious ramifications, not least of which could be the further alienation of the faithful remnant, not to mention the Holy Spirit. Yet it wasn’t as if my concerns weren’t well motivated. God knows, there has been cause enough to be concerned in both church and culture in our time.

Following the prophetic witness of the church in our nation-wide 2003 General Convention, attendance in my little parish around the corner in a small Central New York lakeside village declined, roughly 22 percent in the ensuring three years. By the time the lay leadership knew what was happening, the damage was done. Our base of parish support on the evangelical side of parish life had left and with them went other parishioners with faith perspectives formed from the right. Translated this means not only attendance dropped but financial support as well as membership.

Combining this culture-war battle in the national church with a bold and outright advocacy from the local pulpit on behalf of social justice for all members of Christ’s body, the church - in a congregation that demographically tended slightly to the conservative side of things - was risky to say the least. Compounding this dynamic for destruction with a long-term pastorate (by 2006 18 years in duration) that has not been a walk in the park for any number of reasons, left my rectorship especially vulnerable. Nothing like a good (bad) controversy and a few scores to settle to get the congregation riled up . . .

The last three years in a word, have been exacting in time, energy and faith. The fact that I’m still standing is a tribute either to German obstinancy or English sensibility (both gene sets at work in my personality), or to a goodly measure of common-sense and decency exercised by my lay leadership. Usually, the short-term satisfaction in any major church crisis, as in business, is to lob off the head of the leader rather address systemic issues. It's easier and appears decisive.

Our parish history throughout the twentieth century in fact is littered with unsuccessful ministries involving clergy and laity. When I arrived in the fall of 1988, respect for the clergy and the parish’s reputation in the eyes of outsiders were low and well-deserved. Our concept of parish health was to celebrate interims (you know, the supply clergy between pastorates, the ones with all the smiles and none of the guts for meaningful ministry). I would hope we’ve done something about this in my time, and it would seem we have, although slow developing to be sure but progress nonetheless.

These years later, I am deeply grateful and proud of a turnaround in the culture of the parish. We are addressing the real issues of our time, the ones that speak directly to our local situation. We even have a strategic plan in place, the first such document in our 164-year history. Our focus is increasingly on ministries and mission of compassion and care for others, and not so much as before on our "Episcopalian" pride of place in public square or our individual purposes in private prayer. The tacit motto of former generations - "Manners maketh the man" - has given way to a motto unanimously affirmed by the current leadership - "To grow in God's image, and to spread Christ's kingdom, through the power of the Holy Spirit."

An ironic and future positive outcome of the recent 2003 separating of ways owing to theological and cultural differences among the membership (alluded to earlier) has been that a certain, non-traditional element of the evangelical right, our perceived growth edge in recent years, has gone from us as well. Turns out they had every bit as much pride and self-righteousness in religion as "God's frozen chosen" ever did. As soon as the church affirmed social justice for faithful worshippers of alternative lifestyles, they screamed indignantly and quoted the Bible, chapter and verse, as if they had exclusive knowledge, understanding and wisdom in reading and interpreting God's will in the 21st century. Sometimes I wish I had their certainty of conviction, but then I used to wish I could walk on water, restore sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, ambulation to the lame, cast out demons and raise the dead.

All of which leaves us here in the parish without extremes, neither the old Episcopalians so full of themselves for simply being themselves nor the mistakenly perceived new growth which turned out to be intent on remaking the Episcopal Church in the image of whatever Methodist or Baptist or non-denominational church of their childhoods. We centrists are left alone in the center of things as it probably should have been all along, a spiritual remnant at the still small center of heavenly things that is God’s life in this world.

What lies ahead in this current spirit of parish leadership is an adventure that promises good things, wholesome and holy things well worth our living out together. Such things are premised in a gracious knowing that one indeed should “relax, (for) the liturgy will take care itself.” A rather pleasant Anglican thought that, at least for those of us who have not lost our confidence and trust in the Mysterious Center that holds this rapidly turning world of ours together.

We cannot control or much affect what is happening elsewhere. Yet we can do this much in our own parish lives, namely be faithful and trust the liturgy to work its wonders of grace. This spirit of obedient centeredness, so counter to today's rebellious assertion of self above and beyond all things, may be the real way forward for the church. The words of our ancient faith would suggest as much. "The Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him!" "Be still and know that I am God!” Perhaps it's time to deliberately and intentionally rachet down the stress and noise of our several anxieties, the clamor to be seen and heard, and be at peace as the risen Lord bids His disciples in this Easter season.

SUCCESSFUL TRAVEL IS ALL ABOUT THE AHA MOMENT, the serendipitous and elusive moment of a soul's awaking to another reality that often (hopefully) leads to the breaking of self-image and a drawing closer to God. At least this is how I measure travel. Travel of this kind which I always intend in going off-campus suggests more a pilgrimage than a vacation or business trip. The three motivations are connected only in that the body physically moves from one place to another: and different for obvious reasons.

About vacationers little needs to be said other than that most travelers of this kind have more in common with their luggage than with spiritual awareness. Moving from the safe confines of surburbia to the scripted "serendipities" of packaged tours or resorts has about the same capacity for true adventure as the clothes in their suitcases. Vacation is literally all about being vacuous and nothing that interests me.

On the other hand, given the intense focus of modern corporate business people, the possibilities for the Aha moment are certainly there, indeed, they may well need such moments more than the average person, uniquely focused as they are on their corporate survival or that of their corporation, in the race for rank and sustaining profits. In this instance, the enlightened business traveler is a joy to behold.

I remember in this regard meeting a businessman in a Benedictine monastery while I was on retreat, just before Compline, the last office of the monastic day. He said, "Whenever I travel (and he apparently did so often) I try to stay at a monastery or convent; it ends my day in the Spirit and the money I would otherwise have spent at a hotel goes to support something I believe very strongly in." The words (the faith of the man) were powerful. I remember them clearly as if heard just yesterday, though they were spoken fifteen years ago. This is the power of an Aha moment which can happen anywhere and not always in such a casual and safe enclosure as a monastery.

Of course, travel today is anything but routine, whatever the motivation. Just recently, I got off a plane at LaGuardia and discovered we had to go outside the concourse, outside the building itself and walk several hundred yards to another building to catch our next flight, this without prior knowledge and late on a Friday night. Having dodged taxis and traffic personnel yelling at me to go this way, not that way, and scurrying along a dark sidewalk as best one can with luggage, I sensed a sudden movement in the shadows from beneath an overpass to my immediate right.

In the instance, I thought a mugging was about to take place (on my person!) and heard myself yelling ahead at my travel companions to move quickly. What we saw in looking back over our shoulders was not what I thought but rather two airport employees using a shift break to worship Allah. I had crossed in front of an Islamic prayer ritual.

My interior consciousness in rapid fire sequence went from tired anxiety in getting somewhere unknown to a fight-or-flight fear reaction, and then to an awkward recognition of what really was happening. A painful reflection on my own lack of calm ensued, closely attended by another having to do with a potential hidden prejudice toward the Muslims' religious observance.

The Aha moment though came later when I realized the Holy Spirit was speaking directly to me in this moment, demanding to know not what I thought or knew or cared about the two Muslim men or Islam in general or even about myself, but rather what am I doing for my God each day. Or said in different words, how am I walking with Jesus through the night of our time? Never mind what others are doing, how am I journeying with our God?

The result was a long meditation including even this moment of sharing with you, on the practice of our religion by common, ordinary everyday Christians like you and me -

• Where do we find the solitude necessary to be in the presence of Jesus?
• How do we make room in our daily busy-ness to be still and know that He is God?
• What do we do to create interior silence for the still small voice of God to speak to us?

Out of these reflections come other questions that demand personal ownership and accountability.

• When does each of us act in overt solidarity with other Christians, especially during our workday and not only Sunday?
• What suffering do we endure willing that others may know that He is Lord of all?
• What is the nature and purpose of our living sacrifice to help save and redeem the world for which He shed His Blood and died?

All this is simply offered as one example of a successful travel moment in my world, though nothing I planned.

I don't like traveling but I do it because it's good for me. I do it for vacation and for continuing education and for pilgrimage. By travel I mean getting in an airplane and flying someplace out of my region and comfort (or stress) zone, which would explain the reasons why I travel. For me it’s more travail than get away, more business than pleasure, this kind of traveling. I do it for my soul’s sake and for the sake of those around me; otherwise, I’m strictly a homebody fixed in local habits of the heart.

I used to think this home-centeredness was a virtue. Speaking with a friend who goes to the Antarctic a couple of months each year, leaving spouse and children behind to study the ongoing global effect of changes in the atmosphere, I said this very thing. “I couldn’t do what you do, travel as much as you do and be away as long as you are each year, I’m more of a homebody.” My friend’s response, gentle and well-intended as it was, pricked my social conscience as only truth spoken with kindness of heart can.

“I guess I have a larger sense of home than you have,” she said. The good news is that my world-mindedness is growing thanks to her and others who live daily in a room much larger than mine of habit and preference. I’m not ready to hug Al Gore but I do admit I’ve hugged a windmill across the valley from the rectory, and this is a positive step forward, don’t you agree?

I find as I get older I need this sort of experience more than ever before or perhaps I mean to say that I recognize the need for this sort of experience more than before, thanks to my adventuresome scientist friend. The irony is that I’m now less physically inclined to the effort of preparing and returning - never mind the actual going forth part of the journey - now that I admit it’s a good thing. Maybe this just comes with being more deliberate and intentional in what traveling I do. I still could not be on the road every month, much less every week or day as some do.

My father-in-law loved to travel. He was rector of his last parish for 17 years (I’m now 20 years here). Ward loved going places - to Jerusalem several times, Africa, Europe, England and Florida especially, and anywhere else anyone would suggest. He loved being with people. Wardie would go to three-day conferences and say, “If you come away with one or two good program ideas or activities to take back home with you, it’s worth all the nonsense that goes with it!”

This said in response to me sitting with him, stewing over things or more likely the people saying things – being a young priest with opinions on everything and everyone - while he the cardinal rector would be just waiting patiently for the one good idea to come along. Suddenly he’d say “Let’s go!” and we’d become tourists enjoying the city we were in. It was fun traveling to conferences with my father-in-law. Later, on the way home Ward would explain what it was we had learned . . .

Now I have to see with my own eyes and make sense of things for myself, and create my own learning spaces and be open to spiritual opportunities when they present themselves. I can if I must and do so with increasing skill learned at the side of my father-in-law. I practice contemplative seeing, that is actively waiting for the momentary Aha when things click into place and the door of my interior room opens, offering new insight or vantage on the worlds beyond me. It's nothing you can force. Yet you must be open to Ahas happening. You must allow the possibility of an interior journey within the actual travel of body and baggage from one place to another, as exampled in the aforementioned LaGuardia experience.

Traveling is a good thing if done with an open, alert and receptive mind, and especially for the purpose of drawing closer to others, to creation and to God. I confess to having been convicted in that recent vulnerable moment. I want to give witness to a faith strengthened and broadened by the spiritual message heard spoken from out of the darkness, from under the overpass.

I love the way the Spirit comes to God's people when we make ourselves, our souls available to His coming again. As with the disciples on the road to Emmaus it is often in the shuttling moments between our destinations that He appears and makes His presence known. Truly, God is great, and everywhere! For what it's worth though, I still don't like traveling.

TAKE YOUR INSIGHTS WHEN AND WHERE THEY ARE OFFERED especially when the alternative is to complain and whine about something that can't be changed. I turned to the in-flight publications having gone through my carry-on reading material while waiting over an hour on the tarmac for an already delayed flight - the third of the day! An article about a successful immigrant businessman caught my eye. What inspired further thought was nothing to do with the actual business product or service or how much money the man makes or what he now does with his riches but how this business owner emphasizes the importance of spiritual growth and human values and personal development among his employees especially for anyone who would move up in his company.

The man, the article maintained, holds himself to a higher standard than the dollar and demands no less of his associates. His approach to business (I wish I could remember the man's name) is counter-intuitive, different in practice from most American corporations today although many now use the language of his approach if only for marketing purposes. BP, the largest oil company in the world, for example can say all it wants about being "green" and socially responsible these days but until they stop leading the industry in preventable worksite accidents and deaths, BP will remain the ugly profiteer that it is.

This more uplifting business standard is comprised of three central concerns about employee wellness or said in different words, three concentrations of employee self-interest that if managed properly lead to employee wellness and social happiness and therefore continued business success for the company. The concentrations of interest - are your ready for this? - are spirituality, effective parenting and personal ambition. We get the last, but the first two?

An employee must be ready, willing and able to talk intimately and in detail during ongoing employee reviews about his or her spiritual life, the problems and opportunities of parenting, and lay out what one really wants to accomplish or achieve or acquire, and why. If the employee fails to convey a sincere desire to focus on these interests and to pursue them freely and enthusiastically, passionately if you will, the relationship at least on any promotion-track is abruptly ended. You can readily see what it was about the article that got my attention . . .

The thought of a business leader coming into a room full of employees and talking about the spiritual life, being an effective parent and personal ambition is so refreshing as to make me half reconsider my own choice of profession. Where once an employee was only a commodity or disposable good in the American corporate scheme, and any business relationship was in the corporate nature of things necessarily competitive and therefore all-consuming if one has any aspiration to succeed and advance in the corporate culture, one can almost imagine in this enlightened employment scenario a community of shared interests and mutual cooperation and common vision.

I work for the church as a paid professional because it is the only institution I could see at the time of my choosing that left sufficient room to accommodate my soul's needs. It still seems that way to me. The idea of a successful for-profit company premised in an employee's soul's needs and interests, and not exclusively on profit or client or customer is mind-boggling. If this is true and not simply another exercise in clever marketing, there is hope for the American enterprise system yet . . .

What further caused me to linger over this article while on my way to a vacation destination, and what will continue to hold my attention until I am able to see this thing through into the life of my parish, is the spot on focus of this businessman's vision. He sees the things we see as the people of God, specifically the importance of a relationship with some higher authority beyond the self, the importance of forming sustainable and supportive human relationships that will benefit society over time, and the importance nonetheless of bringing one's own self up to speed in doing the very best that we can and becoming who we are truly meant to be and become.

We of course have our own language in the church for these primary interests, namely the Summary of the Law, but the very fact that a successful contemporary for-profit business owner sees these things as we do is, well, inspiring of hope for the future of "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

I'm looking forward to working this man's standards of interest into the life of the parish, not that we don't already do these things in one way or another but rather because when done with deliberate and intentional purpose such things work out better than they might otherwise. I actually prefer his language insofar as it speaks more directly to identifiable secular needs. The church needs to address real secular needs. Ambition, family and God, perhaps even in that order would be for us coming at things from where common, ordinary everyday people are. It's all about having one's eye on the ball - where people are at - at a time when many in the church have lost this focus and our vision has clouded.

EASTER IS A GOOD TIME TO REFLECT on the nature and experience of the risen Lord, though I find it increasingly difficult to think about such things at the moment. I would rather go on a whole new trajectory. To soar uplifted on the wind currents of the Holy Spirit would be nice . . .

Right now though I'm spent and the spirit of Thomas weighs me down. Thomas crowds in when tired as I am at the end of a good Lenten run, especially after the holidays. Thomas pokes at us like an importuning child at the bedside - wanting this and that, to know and understand, to analyze and categorize, to name and control, to objectify the mystery of the risen Lord - precisely at the moment when we're least of a mind to respond! I wish Thomas would lighten up and let me rejoice and be glad in the mystery.

I’m reminded of the Black Dwarfs in C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. Black Dwarfs though confessed to be on the side of the Narnians were nonetheless drawn to the Witch. At every turn in the adventure they made things difficult for the Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve, the Talking Beasts and Walking Trees of the celebrated kingdom where all creatures were blessed with light and love and the joy of living happily together. Tough-minded Black Dwarfs - always looking out for themselves, withholding support and encouragement, always practical and pragmatic, always demanding, never seeing, unable to share in the light!

Such small thoughts and -behaviors and -attitudes have a way of getting under the spiritual skin, like a tropical parasite that then malingers and undermines the spirit. They crowd aside the reality of the risen Lord. This year the early occurrence of Easter Day certainly doesn't help! Spring in Central New York is still two weeks away. Or perhaps a simpler fact stands out, namely that I’ve delayed too long a post Easter break until I could take time away with my family. There's this added pressure - always striving to balance the needs of others, even the needs of those we love don't always fit well with what's happening to us already.

Or maybe this feeling of enough and too much already has to do with tax returns. Surely I'm not the only one in that slough of despond! Or the war, or the White House and the national election campaign, the housing market and recession economy, or the state of the church, this time of year in Central New York . . . yes, I think a vacation is indicated.

It is time for a bit of letting go and letting God. We must do this more often, taking time to be away, to refresh and restore. And when we return to steward again the blessings and burdens that are ours to have and to hold as they say, may we do so with a greater trust and patience and confidence than I feel at the moment. And please, Lord, help us to be more understanding and accepting of the Thomas sorts (akin to those Black Dwarfs) who would drive your saints to despair. They are your children too. Help us to love them better.

If only they would be as happily open and accepting and engaging as when I greet Maggie after a time away. She goes to puppy spa eagerly enough. But when I return to pick her up Maggie is ecstatic, out of her Chocolate Lab skin with joy of deliverance! Tired beyond belief, hoarse from endless barking, Maggie nonetheless literally jumps for joy at the sight of me. If only we could be this happy in the knowledge of the risen Lord . . .

Aslan, I could do with a sighting! Maybe in the "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge . . . or maybe just in returning, refreshed in mind and restored in body to know, love, live and serve the Lord among friends, at home again.

WE COME NOW OUT OF OUR LENTEN AND HOLY WEEK JOURNEYING to the place we’ve been seeking since Ash Wednesday back in the beginning of February. The spiritual quest is over. We are at the Empty Tomb on the first day of the week, with Mary Magdalene. We feel with senses wide open a whole new reality of being, spiritually alive and renewed, Easter springs forth as for the very first time.

We have worked hard to be ready and open to this spiritual moment. We have awakened in Lent and Holy Week to the pain and sorrow of being human. We’ve acknowledged private longings and desires unworthy of our God or of our calling in his Name. We’ve admitted having disappointed each other and having disappointed our Father in heaven. We’ve tried to turn around from seeing only ourselves, only our private expectations and not your kingdom come.

And now the moment has come to be blessed, not receiving as the world rewards but receiving as only God can bestow with grace and abiding love. With Mary, timid and alone, we peer into the place of our deepest fears, the Empty Tomb, and the Empty Tomb does not disappoint us.

Resurrection is upon us! He is here! He is with us! Not forgetting but forgiving, Love comes to restore and raise a fallen Earth up to heaven. As the stone rolls away from the Empty Tomb, our Father in heaven has opened wide the sluice gates of hope, and washes away sin and death.

Though the detritus of ten thousand years of human sin remain and the clean-up as if forever remains, this divine initiative of love endures.

“He died that we might be forgiven, he died to make us good, that we might go at last to heaven, saved by his precious blood.”

As the favorite Good Friday hymn goes on to proclaim – “There was no one good enough to pay the price of sin, he only could unlock the gate . . . of heaven and let us in.” The gates of hope on this Easter day are opened to us, the people of God.

“O dearly, dearly has he loved! And we must love him too, and trust in his redeeming blood, and try his works to do.”

The clean-up of humanity continues in the work he has given us to do - the work of proclaiming God’s grace and triumphant suffering, uplifting others as we ourselves have been uplifted - this all remains. Yet like volunteers on a coastal shore spoiled by an environmental catastrophe, whose labor to outsiders seems minuscule and pointless, we are not disheartened by this daunting task. We have seen the hope of God. We have seen the world restored to the balance of life in harmony with creation and with God as intended from the beginning. Our visions have been made possible by this resurrection, this life outlasting death and destruction.

Because we look into the Empty Tomb with Mary and Peter and John, and are turned around ourselves by the wash of resurrection, we are no longer without hope. We now know the rest of the story, and it’s good, way good, awesome good! We stand with Mary in the joyful company of God’s people who believe. Our hearts are warmed and our spirits uplifted. We hear Mary as she exclaims to others still held captive by their sorrow and grief - “I have seen the Lord!” He is with us! He is here!

IT'S REALLY SIMPLE LIVING a happy, healthy and bright Christian life. Simple yet hard! We forget in the midst of all the things we have to do today, to do the things that make and keep us well. Here are several key areas of Christian living and questions to help re-member your self in the risen Body of the Living Christ.

Ritual Worship Nike says, “Just do it!” and suddenly everybody is wearing the Swoosh symbol and feels cool. Why then when Jesus says “Do this in remembrance of me” is it now an issue, as if Nike were the God of victory over death, and not Jesus? Just do it! Indeed. There are other compelling reasons for just doing as Jesus commands, more theologically sound, but this should make the point. Do you attend Sunday services?

Shared Meals McDonald’s is the largest fast food purveyor in the world. Kids love to get Happy Meals. I know my kids loved theirs. Turns out this food isn’t doing it for the health of the peoples and nations of the world. Eat this food and one day you’ll wake up unable to recognize yourself in the mirror! It’s not a sustainable health diet, whatever the marketing spin doctors say.

The risen Jesus met two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and in the simple act of breaking bread in a shared meal they recognized their Lord. The command is obvious: have an occasional meal together so that the graces of hospitality and fellowship may re-form the faith community and help us re-member the Body of Christ in our daily life, and not just on Sunday morning. In a word, we need to broaden our table fellowship. Have you been to a church supper recently? Do you belong to a parish foyers group?

Common Values We don’t have to agree on all things to be members of an Episcopal parish. Actually over the centuries we’ve had serious disagreements with one another, occasionally even causing division and separation. Thankfully these moments in history have been for the most part only temporary. A recent parish “Holy Ground” pilgrimage to Gettysburg reminds us of one such a major Episcopal division over states’ rights and slavery. After the war, the bishops in the north invited the bishops in the south to rejoin their fellowship, and reconciliation ensued.

What do you value? Christ’s fellowship is very large and enduring, but not impervious to evil and death in this life. We need to mind our voices. A recent national controversy involving shock-jock radio talk show host Don Imus and the Rutgers University women’s basketball team has caused the entire nation to reflect on our core community beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. How are you imaging Christ’s values? Is your highest good the kingdom of God? Remembering that what the self describes, describes the self, how is your life showing forth the light of the Risen Lord?

Mutual Ministry “We all need someone we can lean on.” The lyrics are sung by Mick Jagger. I’m never quite sure what the Rolling Stones are singing about, but this much I get, we really can’t do it all alone. We need others.

The whole concept of re-membering the Body of Christ is premised in getting all the parts back together and working as God intended. No one person is more important than the other, all are interrelated and interdependent. Besides, it’s more fun as a group. Are you part of a small group doing ministry or mission in or through the parish? If not, then why not?

Collaborative Governance In the leadership culture of America the days of “My call, I made it,” are over. It’s all about working together administratively in small groups of enthusiastic people who share a common interest toward accomplishing a short term goal. Everybody has a voice that needs to be heard, and all voices must be spoken and listened to in cooperation with the spirit or purpose of the endeavor.

I remember my 14-year old son saying during painful exchange, “Dad, I’m trying the best I can but you’re not helping!” We’ve got to help one another. Learning how to speak with respect and value the voice of others is a good starting place and a skill all of us must develop further.

Collaborative governance requires true discernment and discretion to work well. Are you praying for leadership success in the parish? Are you supporting the corporate business and interests of the Body of Christ?

Rhythmic Celebration No, this isn’t about learning how to dance hip-hop or ballroom, although there must be something to this because so many people are enjoying “Dancing with the Stars"!

Here is meant the sanctification of time and experience over the course of a calendar year. The happy Christian celebrates life with deliberate joy and solemnity throughout the calendar year as part of the Body of God. What about your Easter holiday made you feel a part of Christ’s Body? What about the rest of the year? How can we help sanctify your daily life with offerings of thanks and joy, succor and support?

IT’S EASTER and school vacation week. This means many of our fellow parishioners are away around the country. Some are in the South where it’s unseasonably cold, but the flowers are up and the hint of spring is in the air. I know one of our families is on Amelia Island, in Florida. Never been there, but it sounds great. Then there’s us, celebrating Easter here in Central New York. What are we, nuts? It’s snowing outside!

You know, here in Central New York we don’t get to live off the fumes of springtime for our Easter faith. If we depended on Easter lilies or bright sunshiny mornings to get us closer to God, we would indeed go nuts! It just isn’t going to happen here in Central New York. But that’s okay. We’re all big boys and girls here. When we sing “Welcome happy morning” we have to mean it from the heart because Mother Nature isn’t going to help us. Snow on April 8 in Central New York – we’re happy, but it ain’t easy!

During Holy Week I walked into the parish office before the Good Friday service and met a young friend. He’s four years old. His mom is our new parish secretary and he was in the library. I said hello and he said, “Can you make my pirates come to life?” First the weather, and then “Can you give life to my toy figures?” from a four-year old. You need to know that this is the same kid who stood by the baptismal font several days ago, and said, “This is where God baptized my brother and me!”

I’m telling you. It’s Good Friday, and I’m getting down into the gloom of things, and that’s okay. We’re supposed to get down on Good Friday, but then there’s this kid who thinks I’m God heaping the resurrection of his pirates on me! It’s bad enough when adults amuse themselves by pointing out that clergy not God, as if that actually needs saying, but here’s this kid desperately wanting me to be God. And he wasn’t asking “Can I bring his toys to life?” He was asking “Will I bring his toys to life?” The weather, the questions, the expectations, the disappointments, the surprises, this is Easter, Central New York-style! It ain't easy.

What would you have said to my young friend? I looked right at him and said gruffly, without hesitation, “No, I can’t bring your pirates to life! That’s your job!” The truly bewildered look on his face was precious, and I knew I was over my head.

“But I can’t bring my pirates to life!” he pleaded.

This is where the story became our Easter homily. His brother who was also in the library, looked up at this point, and smiled the all-knowing smile of a six-year old, big brother. He pointed at his head and said, “Yes, you can. You can use your imagination!” I felt like I was inside the Guinness Stout commercial, you know, the one where two characters say and do crazy things and then exclaim, “Brilliant!”

My two young friends and I had brilliantly come to the end of a wild conversation and out of it came an understanding of how we can practice resurrection in our own lives. Jesus had it right when he said, “A little child shall lead them.” Kids at play imagine a great many things that you and I as adults have long since forgotten. Kids don’t have the doors of fear and anxiety and doubt closing them in yet, not as we do. They’re still wide open to the visible and invisible, the outward and visible and the inward and spiritual. For them the veil is still gossamer thin. They still live in the thin places of the Spirit, while we’ve become thick to the conversation.

Our job today is to recommit ourselves to practicing resurrection in our lives again. We need to use our heads in this life, yes, but we’ve also got to rediscover the imagination in our hearts, not in the prideful way that characterizes so much of life today, but in a way of humility that leaves room for the Spirit to come and bless us with new life. The point isn’t that Jesus is raised from the dead, although this is true and central to our remembrance. The point is that because Jesus is raised from the dead, we now can think and act and behave differently. We’ve got a whole new reference point, no longer the grave but now the Empty Tomb.

Easter morning is all about running to the place where the stone has been rolled away, letting go of our selves and letting God come back into our lives with new hope and new glory, especially through strange and fearsome changes. It’s easy to get old and think that because the sun refuses to shine over our region this day, there is no sun to shine at all when in truth the sun is shining all the day, whether it’s dark and gloomy or bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Whatever the circumstances of our day or night, God, our God is there overcoming evil and death.

Easter 2007 is a call to practice resurrection as our Presiding Bishop encourages us to do in her Lenten book, “On a Wing and a Prayer,” and to be joyful about it. Stop looking for things to be just the way they have always been or only how you want them to be, and start allowing again the possibility that you can do something great and wonderful, even if it’s only a little bit of playfulness in the parish library on Good Friday. Bring the awe and wonder, the glory and majesty, the beauty and the blessing back into play. Happy Easter!