“The…believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.” – Acts 10:45

This past week, something I had been hearing about for quite some time finally began…The ABC Countdown. It didn’t mean anything to me either when my daughter asked every day for weeks how many days away the beginning of this momentous event was. Finally, as I was presented with a list of 26 letter-themed days, I realized what all the hubbub was about. Every day there is a theme that matches the letter of the alphabet culminating in the final day of school, “Z is for zip-off to a great summer!” There are certainly some anticipated favorites like “G is for games,” “I is for ice cream,” and “S is for silly socks.” Every day brings a new treat and one step closer to the end of school. What fun it is to be a kiddo sometimes!

C.S. Lewis once said that he had been told by Bridge players that there had to be at least a small prize when playing the card game, otherwise nobody would take it seriously. This is often described as having “skin in the game” and implies having put something you value or some part of yourself into an endeavor raising the stakes for whatever “the game” is meant to stand for. More interestingly to me, I found this quote in A Greif Observed, the published portion of Lewis’ personal journal that he kept after losing his wife to cancer. Loss of loved ones is inherently heightened because of how much we have ourselves invested in our relationships.

I sometimes find the weeks following Easter Sunday to be a reminder that our hope is in the eternal promise, even as we still live on this side of the so-called veil between this life and the next. When Jesus appears to the disciples in the upper room, he does not take away any challenges or struggles they still have ahead of them. They are afraid. They are lost. They don’t know what can possibly be next. But he comes and stands with them. He comes into their midst and offers them peace in the midst of their difficulty. He breathes on them the Spirit of life so that they know that whatever they will endure in the time ahead, they cannot be separated from the love of God.

I, like many of you, have now received my second vaccination! As I was leaving the HEB this afternoon, the nurse mentioned that in two weeks I will be considered fully vaccinated according to the CDC. As I reflect on the uncertainty we were facing this time last year, I am astutely aware that I am cautiously optimistic that I will actually get to see all of you in the very near future. I am also trying to let it sink in that Easter will hopefully be the last of a multitude of occasions when we had to try some new and different adaptation just to keep caring for our community.

Listening to podcasts has become a relatively new sermon prep practice this year. I realized today that this has been the first year I observed so many different pronunciations of the word “Triduum.” Seriously, I have heard at least 7 versions of a word I have always pronounced “tri-do-um.” I find the sometimes-excessive jargon of the church to be a barrier to many new and even long-time members, but Triduum is just fun to say. Basically, though, the word just refers to the three day period of prayer in which we observe the last night Jesus spent with his friends in which he gave us the Lord’s Supper, the day on which Jesus was crucified and died, and the day on which Jesus rose from the dead, i.e. Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter.

I was hiking in the bird sanctuary this week and was overjoyed to see all the bright green new leaves on the trees. I am not sure if it’s because we live in Houston and the seasons are a bit more nuanced here, or if the past year of covid-tide has made time and seasons less distinctive and noticeable, but the sudden blooming of creation is such a great thing to witness. Holy Week too feels this way. When Sarah preached a couple of weeks ago, she shared something a friend said that I think of often: We tend to think we are on a journey or progressing towards Easter, but really, we are running in place and Easter is coming toward us.

As I mentioned in last week’s Spirit Shot, I have received my first vaccine. I am not alone! It seems every day comes with updates from the CDC about how vaccinated people can begin to gather! I imagine these next couple of months will feel like that last hour of a long car trip home when you start to recognize places but still have a way to go before you finally part and step out of the car. We seem to be in the home stretch and I, like you, can’t wait to be back together!!! For now, we are doing everything we can to make sure we arrive at our spiritual home safely.