Actually, while I know that is the sentiment of most people I like to say "Are you having a happy Lent?"
As we get ready for the 2nd Sunday of Lent I thought I would share a bit about our Ash Wednesday. I have been waiting for some pics from that blessed event - but since they are still 'on der way Fahdah' I thought it best to enter the blog and maybe add the pics later.
Usually the high point of Ash Wed is the annual ecumenical service we have with the Anglicans. One year they host it in their church and I preach - the next we host it in our church and their minister preaches. This year it was our turn to host it and, for the first time, a woman Anglican priest would preach.
But that was at 6:30PM -- my day started 12 hours earlier.
We now have four churches and my challenge was to provide something for each of them, from one end of Andros to the other. Not to make this any more of a challenge than it needed to be - this was also the day Ginni was returning from 2 weeks in the US and she would be coming in on the 4PM plane.
SO - up at 6:30, a quick bite for breakfast because there would be no lunch and then set it up with one of our parishioners that he'd meet her plane and I hit the road. The first service was at 9 at the southern end of the island. Just a handful (to be expected at 9AM on a weekday) for the first service, but when it was over one of the members asked if I could come to the Behring Point Primary School to give the children ashes. My next service was at 12 so I had time, she called the Principal who gathered all the kids into one large meeting room while I loaded up my alb, stole, and ashes and headed on over there.
Well - they were all sitting on the floor waiting for me - all 61 of them!
I took a deep breath, said a quick prayer, and we launched into "This Little Light of Mine", before long they were clapping and weaving back and forth as they sang "Shine all over Andros - This little light of mine". I told the story of Jonah and the Lionfish -- "oh no fahadah" -- was it Jonah and the Grouper? "oh no fahdah". Well what was it then - "it be da whale fahdah" (I just love it).
Anyway - I explained that when the people of Ninevah repented they put ashes on their heads to show how sad they were because of their sin and TODAY we are going to put ashes on our heads! Well, you should have seen the eyes of the kindergarten kids and 1st graders get big at that! (I should explain that Kindergarten starts at age 4 here).
So we do the ashes (with an Administrator taking pics I don't have yet), then sing "God's not dead, He's still alive", said the Lord's Prayer and gave them a blessing and I was off and running to the next service.
Next was AUTEC, which went off without a hitch during the lunch hour. I waited till 1:00 to get all who could get away but then I had to take off to get to Mastic Point. After and hour and half on the worst roads you can imagine I made it. Now up north several of our members work at Mastic Point Primary School so, rather than have a service at church I had asked if we could do a service with the kids and had gotten the OK. What I did not know was that there were 117 kids!
So -- what worked at Behring Point Primary was put to work here.
Started off with "This little light of mine"
I tell the Jonah and and Lionfish story - Oh no Fahdah
Then it must have been a Grouper - Oh no Fahday
OH - it was a whale - Yes Fahdah
Ninevah repents - ashes - no WE are going to get ashes -- SHOCK and AWE
"Repent and believe the Gospel"
"Repent and believe the Gospel"
"Repent and believe the Gospel"
"Repent and believe the Gospel"
"Repent and believe the Gospel"
"Repent and believe the Gospel"
You get the idea - 117 times
Then its off to the Haitian shanty town where, at 4, the workers are coming in from the fields.
So, standing by the side of the onion fields -
"Repent and believe the Gospel"
"Repent and believe the Gospel"
"Repent and believe the Gospel"
"Repent and believe the Gospel"
Then, pack up and hit those wonderful roads for the 90 minute ride back to Fresh Creek for the ecumenical service with the Anglicans and "Father Marie".
I pull into St. John's and the church is open and our sacristan has the lights on and we are almost ready to go. I set up the ashes to be blessed, go over the program I had printed a few days earlier, make sure the music people have copies, then go into the rectory to take a breather.
And there is Ginni!
She had been gone for 2 weeks but it felt longer. We only had about 10 minutes to reconnect when people started arriving so I go get my vestments, greet people, the church fills up -- but no Fr. Marie.
Its time - but no Fr. Marie - its 5 minutes past the time to begin - no Fr. Marie. An Anglican gets up and comes to me, "she called, she's on her way". All I could do was smile and shrug.
She pulled into the driveway and came up to me with the same apology the prior Anglican priest used two years ago when he was also late. Then she walked through church to put her purse next to the Presider's chair and then came back to where I and the altar servers were waiting and we began.
Well we had a full church and it went off without a hitch and everyone was gone by 8 and I could finally sit down and take off my shoes and hear about Ginni's trip to the US.
All in all it was quite a day - a joy actually - I found myself thanking God for the privilege I have in serving Him and His people.
When I get the pics of the kid's service I will post them
Till next time
