The Graze V.152: Palms And Candles

Dear Ones,

On the cusp of Holy Week, we are preparing to walk through the holy story of God's love for this world. While the season of Lent and Holy Week bring a starkness to our worship space both in symbol and ritual, during Holy Week we begin to reintroduce ancient symbols of our faith. Our religious symbols can offer a familiar comfort but their purpose is to lead us deeper into a life of love. The rituals and symbols of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter embody this holy narrative and offer a sense of the awe, wonder and beauty of the universe. These practices also help to inform us as to how we live and move and have our being on this fragile earth.

How we walk through this week and beyond matters - the symbols we use; the words we say; our actions toward one another and the earth. At Mission Farm we offer an invitation (either in person or online) to walk through this holy story together.

As a space of connection, conservation and justice, we are particularly mindful of our symbols. Do we need to use endangered palms imported from Columbia for a 15 minute ritual on Palm Sunday? Perhaps we could use something native to our own environment - like forsythia - to help us connect to the story in a more powerful way? Do we need to purchase paraffin candles made in Ohio and shipped across the country to serve as our Pascal Candle - our most important Easter symbol? Could we instead, support a local business that uses local beeswax creating a healthier space while building a deeper community with our local environment and those we live near?

In this holiest of weeks, what we do matters. How we invest our money matters. How we spend our time matters.

Blessings to you, dear friends, on this holiest of weeks,

Lisa+