Four Reasons for Gratitude in Easter Week

1. Grateful for the Easter Story that Unfolded Last Week. . .and the Easter Story that Continues This Week

All the Easter eggs have now been collected. Flowers are beginning to fade on the Easter cross outside St. Philip's. We have taken down the Easter services banner from the fence. Easter must be over.

NO!  Easter, like Christmas, is a liturgical SEASON and not limited to one day. We focus on one day, but there are many more. Christmas has twelve days in its season. Easter has fifty.  Easter goes from Easter Day to the (feast) day of Pentecost, when we'll celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles gathered in Jerusalem.

This year, spring has been shy about showing her face. Winter seems to continue to taunt us. Yet all around us are signs of new life--flowers poking up, things blooming, and yes, folks struggling already with allergies.

As we celebrate the emergence of new life, the word GRATITUDE comes to mind.

2. Grateful for YOU at St. Philip's Parish

There are several reasons for this gratitude. First, I am deeply grateful to all of you who worked so hard to make our Holy Week so amazing. If I begin to name people, I know I will forget someone. So I will just say that Altar Guild and Worship Committee figure heavily into my thanksgivings, as well as all of you who volunteered to read lessons and prayers.

It is true that clergy usually bear the heaviest lifting of Holy Week (what we lovingly refer to as "the Holy Week Marathon," but equally true is that we clergy could not possibly do the best job we can do without help of a lot of people. So please know how grateful I am for the gifts so many of you have offered.

3. A Book on Gratitude

A colleague of mine, Diana Butler Bass, has just published her new book. It is entitled Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks. Diana began writing this book early in 2016, and through a personal struggle, finally finished it. As many writers know, the book took a different turn than she had originally envisioned. (Note: I understand this, because sometimes I have a particular focus for a sermon, and somewhere in the midst of writing it, the sermon takes a different path!)

(Note: if you'd like to check it out, or buy it, click here:

https://smile.amazon.com/Grateful-Transformative-Power-Giving-Thanks/dp/0062659472/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1522943095&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=diana+butler+bass&psc=1

4. Grateful for My "Emergency Contact List"

Another reason I thought about gratitude was an e-mail I received two days ago. I subscribe to emails from Coach David Girt, who owns and manages LiveNow Fitness in Elkton. (http://www.livenowfitness.com) Several of our parishioners work out there. While I chose another place for my work-outs, I still get Coach Girt's e-mails, because I find them to be inspirational.

This week, Coach Girt said we all have a person we want to be contacted in case of emergency. Yet he expanded that list, asking some questions for me to consider:

"Who mentors you and offers a baseline of wisdom?

Who challenges you to think?

Who cheers on your dreams?

Who cares enough to admonish you?

Who is kind when you have failed?

Who shares the load in high pressure moments without being asked?

Who brings the smiles, fun, and laughter?

Who lifts you up when life is getting you down?

Who loves you unconditionally?"

As I considered David's questions, I mentally answered these questions for myself. In doing that, I found myself thanking God for people who are there in good times, in challenging times. For people who do share the load of my life. For those who cheer me on, for those who are kind when I mess up. And this week, especially grateful for those who are supporting my taking some much-needed time off. Today, in this Easter week, as we think about new life, I invite you to answer those questions for yourself.

Then say thanks to God that you have that kind of "emergency contact list."  God is good. The Lord is risen. New life abounds. Thank you, God.

~Sheila+