It really is the best week of the year, though it’s also the busiest. And the desire to take a little breather after the crazy pace isn’t an option for anyone in my house, well, except for Kayla who has the week off from Classical Conversations, but also a major thesis and defense due soon.
Robert and I hit the ground running this morning with preparations for two different retreats: Mine is our church’s annual women’s retreat, and Robert’s is a retreat called Cultivate and put on by our denomination for college students all over New England.
(Robert delivered nine sermons in the course of eight days last week. Ten if you count his leadership/teaching at our Thursday Passover Seder meal. Today he is working on four more for the retreat weekend. I would be toast. I am toast, and all I did was follow him around.)
All good stuff and wonderful opportunities, truly, but no room for a breather until next week. Or am I just deceiving myself?
Probably.
Who knew that part of being an middle-aged adult meant having things on the calendar up to 18 months in advance? That is our current reality.
I was tempted to look at the coming week as a kind of final hurdle and finish line, something to help facilitate and cross off the list, until I opened up my Bible and read the last two chapters of Colossians this morning. Now, I’m looking at it as a meaningful way to worship and serve Christ. Or maybe I should say that I’m asking Him to grant that proper perspective.
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
Colossians 3: 23-24
While I do love working on behalf of the women in my life and in my church, knowing that Christ receives these small acts of service and obedience as service unto Himself is also a pretty strong motivator.
Here’s a little glimpse into last week:
We had Holy Week services every evening and on various college campuses beginning on Sunday. This was from Sunday night at Johnson Chapel at Amherst College.Hapshiba, a student at Amherst shared her testimony of God redeeming and renewing her identity and value in Christ.Anthony, a recent Amherst grad, and now Intervarsity staff, taught from the book of Matthew.Robert spoke Monday – Wednesday at a conference in New Hampshire for full time staff workers at Christian Camps in New England and beyond. We returned on Wednesday afternoon and then he spoke at the Holy Week service at Smith College that evening.Thursday night was our annual Messianic Passover Seder meal. It meant recruiting readers and leading the service for Robert, and it meant a day in the kitchen for me. Thankfully, I had Lizzie, a recent Smith grad to help me. It also meant purchasing a new food processor, because mine recently died. Have you ever grated several pounds of horseradish? Quite an experience and about 10 times worse than chopping onions on the eye-burning, tears scale.The Seder is such a lovely evening together as a church family, and with some especially fun parts for kids.Friday at noon was our Crosswalk – probably the most “weird” (Robert’s words – ha!) and blatant thing we do as a church in the community. The cross gets carried into the downtown area and back, and we stop along the way to read the biblical account of Good Friday. This year we had an especially meaningful time of debriefing and prayer afterward. We were back at church about five hours later for the Good Friday Tennebrae service. It’s probably my favorite worship experience of the year.Some of the Amherst College gospel choir opened up our Easter Sunday services. So good!Cooper was home for the weekend and got to play in the worship band.We offered Easter photos after church. These folks are waiting in line to have their pictures taken. Check out Shannon Giselle photography when you get a chance. Shannon is a member of our church and a fantastic photographer!On an adjacent lawn, our little ones were having a major Easter egg hunt. I wish I had a better picture that captured just how many kids and parents were gathered. So much fun to watch! And to think, just 8-10 years ago, my kids were really the only ones in the church. Today, there are about 30-40 babies, toddlers, and elementary aged kiddos. And there are currently at least five pregnant women! It’s a baby boom around here for sure!I got to add a couple of daughters for parts of the weekend! Cooper’s girlfriend, Madison, was here and one of Kayla’s BFF’s from church, Charlotte, also got to hang out with us a bit. An “adopted PK” is what she called herself. She and her mom are such bright spots in our life!I had to include this photo. These three beautiful girls are in my women’s small group Bible study on Wednesday nights – along with about five others. They are a true joy and delight to me. Sharp, strong, serious about their faith and a ton of fun.Meghan is also in my small group and on staff at our church. She’s the big sister and mentor to Kayla and Charlotte, too. What a gift she is!Some naturally dyed eggs…beets, blueberries, turmeric, and yellow onion skins. Can you guess which is which?But we also made regular old Paas dyed eggs…for an after Easter lunch activity.Turns out that egg dying has no age or gender limits. Everyone got in on it and expressed their individual and unique creative styles.My first carrot cake… and a sign of a successful Easter lunch gathering?
I think, more than even before I was struck by how the good news of a crucified and risen Savior binds people together. People who would’ve never met or associated with one another. People from all over the world.
People from crime ridden neighborhoods to country club members.
Those from Zambia and Korea, Russia and India, Indiana and New York.
Red staters and blue staters.
The abused and the former abuser.
Vegans and vegetable haters.
The ISTJ and the ENFP.
Artists and computer scientists.
Teenagers and grandparents.
I know many have made this observation before, but it was highlighted for me yesterday in a profound way, and caused me to worship the God whose gospel equalizes us all in at least one way: we once were blind, but now we see. (Robert even used John Newton in his sermon.) We once were dead, but now we’ve been made alive.
So yeah, it was crazy-busy, but also the best week of the year for that reason.
And now, on to another full week. Here’s to choosing to do the work of the week heartily and as for the Lord Himself. Here’s also to loving and serving the women of my church and praying that the Lord uses this retreat to bind women together around our common faith as well as free women from the slavery of insecurity, grounding them in their true identity: free, forgiven, and complete in Christ.
Pray for us?
Oh, and here’s a little snippet of the gospel choir from Sunday. I love watching students use their gifts like this.
