This chorus from Bruce Cockburn stands out to me as we enter Holy Week. 

"Gone from mystery into mystery, Gone from daylight into light

Another step deeper, Into darkness

Closer to the light"

Today we enter in jubilation with palms, cedar branches, scarfs and paper banners, lifting our hearts in joy at the coming of our King.

We know this road will lead to darkness, we know it will seem at times that all is lost, that the darkness and isolation will go on forever but we know that the mystery of this story is that that we are closer to the light than we ever have been.

The light is already here, waiting to burst from the tombs of our hearts and lives. Illuminating every outline of our homes, our families our neighbourhoods and own faces with Gods abiding ever-present love.  

Hold this close as we move deeper into the darkness of Holy Week, as we extinguish these final shadows, may we prepare the soil of our hearts for the new life God is planting in this time of solitude! 

I am walking with you every step of the way this week and holding you in prayer. Looking forward to seeing some of you on Zoom this Weds and to being together in Spirit through these sacred days!

Know that you have nothing to fear, God is with you.

-The Reverend Meagan Crosby-Shearer

A poem sent by one of our congregation this week! 

Lockdown [adapted]
by Richard Hendrick, OFM Mindfulness Ireland
 
Yes, there is fear.
Yes, there is isolation.
…Yes, there is sickness.
Yes, there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of the family around them.
…All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way
All over the world, people are waking up to a new reality
…To what really matters.
To Love.
So we pray and we remember that
Yes, there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes, there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
…Yes, there is sickness.
But there does not have to be the disease of the soul
Yes, there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
….
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul
And though you may not be able to touch across the empty square,
Sing.

This week we enter Holy week as we cry Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Click Read More to access the Audio recording!

Join Meagan on Wednesdays at 10 am for virtual coffee time. Bring your beverage and chat with folks from the congregation!

Join the Emmaus Community as we hear the Passion through scripture and chanted psalm and extinguish the light. Email admin@emmauscommunity.ca for the Zoom link. 

Maundy Thursday is the fifth day of Holy Week - the final week of Lent. It gets its name from the Latin word 'mandare', from which we get the word 'command'. Christians remember Jesus's command: "Love one another as I have loved you." This is the day when we remember Jesus kneeling and washing his companion's feet and then sharing the feast we have come to know as the Eucharist before his death on Good Friday. 

This year, we may not be able to gather together in person but we can remember and feast in our own homes on this sacred night of service and self-offering. (Access the liturgy by clicking the Read More Button)

As we have in the past, we will join the Abbey Church in marking the final moments of Jesus's life.  Join us as we hear the Passion and bring our prayers to the cross of Christ. You will be able to find the YouTube link here on the day. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDXr2PBwTRDOyTtoJ-wUX9g/

Join the Emmaus Community for a retreat from your home. There will be times of prayer, a Zoom check-in and self-guided practices. 

Join us on Sunday, April 12th as we celebrate the Resurrection and bring this long season of Lent to a close! Though we cannot gather in person, we will join via Zoom in a short service with some of our classic Easter hymns and prayers! Email us for the Zoom link and drop flowers off in front of the office on Saturday (10am-12pm) for the Easter cross!

From the folk at Pray as you go, comes a new series of reflections aptly named 'Pray as you stay'  "It is aimed to support you during this time of self-isolation, uncertainty and fear, which we are all going through...We find ourselves in new and unknown territory as a global family, bringing confusion and chaos. Therefore, we hope this prayer guide will help you stay close to God as you stay where you are. We hope it will uplift you, give you some ideas for creative prayer, and provide some reflection with scripture, all underpinned by the Ignatian practice of finding ‘God in all things’, wherever you are."