With the CORVID-19 pandemic restrictions and isolation there was no Maundy Thursday worship service to attend.

Last year I attended the Maundy Thursday service at the chapel at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown. The service was a poetic and artistic stream of words interspersed with ceremony (foot washing, communion, prayers, passing of the peace) and accented with 2 praise songs and 2 modern hymns which I had not sung for a few years. The icing on the whole evening was the youngest daughter of one of the Chaplains who cheered for the musicians (including her Father) and clapped. It was all a truly spiritual experience.

I miss the gathering with believers to mark this Holy Day. We did meet with our small group as usual on Thursday, by conference phone call, and prayed together and read Scripture, though none of it was on the theme for this special day remembering The Last Supper. Fortunately our Holy Week devotional did carry through on this theme.

It is an interesting time. Is the world headed for Calvary or resurrection?

I have a deep peace about all this.

The situation has forced me to learn a new technology, how to make, and edit, a video for each chapel service at the retirement residence where I share worship duties. It was a rough start, but is now coming together. But there may be no use to produce a video for Easter Monday because a presumed case has been found, and the gatherings have been discontinued.

My wife and her friends are able to a help to many people, including making masks and caps for nursing staff in our region, and patients, and now family and friends.

We do shopping for a friend who is medically compromised.

Our first tulip of 2020

And the spring recuperation of our yard and garden occupies a lot of my energy.

So I give thanks in everything. Some things remain the same. New opportunities to serve others arises from this pandemic. Jesus is still with us. The Spirit continues to guide us and teach us. And Creator delights in resurrecting the spring flowers and shrubs, filling buds on the trees and bringing us migrating birds and butterflies. Animals are coming out of hibernation.

The world is in turmoil, but my spirit is at rest with the infinite love of God.

May you find that, share that, and thrive because of it.