Welcome to the 2012 Virtual Vigil

Thank you for joining us today. You are about to embark on a journey that invites you to enter into reflection and meditation that aims to bring the ancient story of Christ's passion into a personal experience in the life of the seeker today.



We have designed today’s experience for you to go on a journey into the life of Christ. We have designed a series of “thresholds”

(the starting point for a new state or experience; the smallest detectable sensation; the entrance, the space through which you enter). You are invited to step across the threshold to another time, another place. Using all of your senses, you are encouraged to participate fully in each one. Each Threshold has a scripture reference and many include other things like poems, lyrics, and meditations.

Each threshold of the physical vigil will be presented in a separate post on this blog. Be sure to continue to the older posts" to see all of the thresholds.



Feel free to “journal” your experience. We encourage you to share any special thoughts you may have and leave it n a comment for those who come after you to read.

Throughout the day we will add notes from the physical vigil to the virtual vigil and vice versa. At the end of the day, we will have a service in the church sanctuary

beginning at 7:30 p.m. At that time we will read aloud any comments that have been left.

Let There Be Light

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Not only did God create light, God calls you to be the light of the world.

You are “light” in a world of darkness

Valley of Dry Bones

He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

The Palms

After saying these things, Jesus headed straight up to Jerusalem. When he got near Bethphage and Bethany at the mountain called Olives, he sent off two of the disciples with instructions: "Go to the village across from you. As soon as you enter, you'll find a colt tethered, one that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says anything, asks, 'What are you doing?' say, 'His Master needs him.' " The two left and found it just as he said. As they were untying the colt, its owners said, "What are you doing untying the colt?" They said, "His Master needs him." They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As he rode, the people gave him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the street. Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed: Blessed is he who comes, the king in God's name! All's well in heaven! Glory in the high places!

Luke 19:28-38

Have you ever walked down a street days after a parade? What does what is left behind say about what happened? What would it have been like to have been in the crowd on Palm Sunday? Can you hear the crowd now as it cries out for Jesus' death?

Baptism

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Come to the water. Mixed into this blessed water are a few drops from the river where Jesus was baptized, the Jordan. Consider how you are baptized in Christ. Just as the drops can never be removed again, so are we all bound into the Body of Christ through baptism. Gaze into the water, see the “one in whom God is well pleased.”

The Suffering of Jesus

So Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers, having braided a crown from thorns, set it on his head, threw a purple robe over him, and approached him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Then they greeted him with slaps in the face.

Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, "I'm thirsty." A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, "It's done . . . complete." Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.

Jesus was mocked with a crown of thorns and purple cloak. His torturers flogged him and then paid mock homage to the bleeding king. On the cross he was offered sour wine for his thirst. Smell and taste the bitter vinegar on the table. Touch the crown of thorns, place it on your head.

Storm of Illness

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress.” And he said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.

Jesus healed. He is still healing people today. In some cases he said the sick were healed because of faith. Jesus told us that if we had faith like a mustard seed we could move mountains and more. Sometimes when we experience a “storm of illness” with a loved one or ourselves; it’s hard to have faith. Gather up your faith and write a prescription to calm your storm.

The Tomb

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

The familiar 23^rd psalm speaks of the valley of the shadow of death. As you enter the place where Jesus laid in death, watch this short video.

Candle Lighting

It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness. On this dark day light a candle as you offer a prayer, either privately to God alone or in the comments so they may be shared at our vespers service at 7:30.

Still Small Voice

He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’

The calm after the storm of God's bombastic display before Elijah was “a sound of sheer silence.” But God was not speaking in the storm, the earthquake or the fire. It was not God whispering to Elijah but a silence that got Elijah’s attention and caused him to come out of the cave. Only at that point did God speak to him again. What does it take for God to get your attention? Are you listening?

Press play and listen. Be sure to wait for God to speak, not just to Elijah but to you.

The Upper Room

When it was time, he sat down, all the apostles with him, and said, "You've no idea how much I have looked forward to eating this Passover meal with you before I enter my time of suffering. It's the last one I'll eat until we all eat it together in the kingdom of God." Taking the cup, he blessed it, then said, "Take this and pass it among you. As for me, I'll not drink wine again until the kingdom of God arrives." Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory." He did the same with the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you. "Do you realize that the hand of the one who is betraying me is at this moment on this table? It's true that the Son of Man is going down a path already marked out—no surprises there. But for the one who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man, this is doomsday." They immediately became suspicious of each other and began quizzing one another, wondering who might be about to do this.

Join Jesus at the table, have a seat across from him. This meal has been prepared just for you. Take a piece of the blessed bread and dip it in the cup. As you cup your hand under the soaked bread you may catch a drop of the grape juice. Recall that Jesus proclaimed this to be his blood. What does it mean for you this Good Friday to have Jesus’ blood on your hands?

The Cross

I am imagining the soldier
who drove the nails,
clambering around or stretching
to reach the hands,
trying to avoid seeing
the face and the eyes,
ignoring the eternal life line
dividing the palms
from fingers down to wrists,
glimpsing the lips
moving silently,
mouthing words not meant 
for ears to hear.
And I'm wondering
how many keepers of reliquaries
claim to own those nails,
or perhaps even the letter home
written by the nailer
or some other soldier ordered
later to do his duty
and pull them out.
                     Warren L. Molton

Jesus could have called down angel armies to save himself, but he accepted death. Who killed Jesus? Take the hammer in your hand and drive the nail for surely your participation (even through silence) in evil nails Jesus to the cross still. What things do you need to place on the cross?

Storm of Want

Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

This story is about a couple of things. First, we think about the fact that Jesus can take what little we have and turn it into so much more. And secondly, its about community. The community shared what they had and it was blessed and stretched until all were fed.

The modern day picture was taken during the aftermath of the tornado, when everyone was bringing what they had to share with those who had lost all. These “loaves and fishes” were made into lunch for volunteers and homeowners to nourish and sustain them while they helped clear the debris. When we take care of our neighbors and our community, we are all blessed indeed!!

Hem of Jesus' Garment

Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.’ Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?” ’ He looked all round to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.’

Follow the rope to the end and you will find Jesus in the crowd. However, you MUST let go of the rope, let go of all those things that tie you down, things you are holding on to, in order to touch the hem of Jesus and be healed.

Calm in the Storm

A storm is any disturbed state that affects your well being: physically, mentally or spiritually. Storms generally lead to negative impacts to lives and property. A storm may be marked by stress, lack of sleep, irritability, anger, fear, distrust, anxiousness, or apathy to name a few. Some examples of “ storms of life” are fear,health problems (yours or others), divorce, addictions, poverty, unemployment, loneliness, depression, and disasters. However, sometimes “storm” systems can alleviate drought which would not be possible otherwise. For example, you experience a “storm of the soul” caused by one system or many and you turn to God for comfort, for answers, thus relieving your “drought of the soul “when you soak in t he living waters that Jesus longs to give you.

This is the image of a 2005 painting by Leo Hone ( Shari Magno) and it is titled He Noho Kou I Ko'u Wa'a ( You have a seat in my canoe.)

" This is my Hawaiian version of angels. At some point in our lives, we all have experienced that 'middle seat'. We are not alone."

Wake Up Jesus

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’

We are like the disciples who, panic-stricken, accused Jesus of not caring about their fate. "Jesus, wake up!" they scream as the waters roil and the winds blow. They take the storm as a personal attack upon themselves. We, too, are sometimes convinced that everything that comes upon us is somehow the world's personal attack on us. In those times, we're certain that our Savior is slumbering while we suffer. Why else have we not experienced instant deliverance from our troubles? We scream, "Jesus, wake up! Don't you care that we're perishing? Don't you care what is happening to us?"

When things are going well in life it's easy to be lulled into a false sense of security, believing nothing bad can befall us again. We have fallen asleep at the wheel and we awake in a panic when the storms of life begin to blow. We wonder where God is and if we have been abandoned to the waves that threaten to capsize our boat. We accuse God of being asleep - leaving us to be swallowed up by our problems.

We forget that we have the greatest power in the world right at our fingertips. God, whose power flows in and through everything in this world, flows through us as well. God's power is not the power of a dictator or a superhero, swooping in to rescue us and set everything right in the blink of an eye. Instead, God's power is a cooperative power that requires us to be awake. This power requires us to have faith in ourselves, in our own ability to co-create with God in the world. Our faith doesn't have to be huge - just the size of mustard seed will do - but our faith, combined with God's overwhelming power, means that nothing in the world can upend our boats. That faith in ourselves, combined with God's power, means we can move mountains - or find calm waters when our boats are rocked.