Day 18: Final Edits

I apologize for the boring, home-bound photos of the last few days. But I've been utterly wrapped up in editing this huge baby: a 2011 Book of Common Prayer for the Reformed Episcopal Church. We hope it will be ready to go to the printer this week, so my every non-homeschooling moment today and tomorrow will be consumed with proofing this clean new copy, hot off the press....

Only 358 pages...not too bad. (Yikes!) I'll let you know when I come up for air....

The Tenth Day of Christmas at Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity

The Free Teen Guitar Class plays at Blessed Trinity

The Free Teen Guitar Class worships at Blessed Trinity (J is 2nd from left)

Day 85: Anglican Service

One of my favorite parts of liturgical worship is icons. Eastern Orthodox Christians, and to a lesser extent Roman and Anglo Catholics, view icons as "windows to heaven." On the most basic level they provide a reminder to us of an incident in biblical or church history and were very important in earlier times when very few Christians were literate. Icons were like Bible stories to many early and medieval believers, recalling a certain story to mind as one looked at the icon.

Eastern Christians pray before, or in their words, "through" icons. I love learning about how icons are written (not painted), with the black and dark colors going on first, then finishing with the light colors, especially white and gold, reminding us that Christ brought the Light of His salvation to a dark world.

This icon hangs on the wall of Victoria House, the parsonage of Alpine Anglican, in the dining area where we worship during the colder months, during Lent, and on special holy days. The Annunciation is depicted here, which is timely as this biblical event is celebrated by the church on March 25 (T's birthday this week), nine months before Christmas. I can sit before an icon for a very long time: praying, admiring the skill and colors, meditating on the event and/or people portrayed in the icon. I have two small ones of my own that hang above my prayer corner next to my bed.

Day 79: Lake Murray Women's Retreat in Pine Valley

The theme for this year's retreat is "Tangled Thread to Tapestry." The exercise on Friday night involved our small group standing in a circle, facing in and shoulder to shoulder, then taking hands across from each other. Then we had to untangle ourselves and get back into a larger circle without letting go. It was pretty hilarious to watch (which I did as I couldn't participate physically). It took listening to one another, loosening grips without letting go, and a willingness to bend without breaking grips ... some very good lessons for the real "knots" in our lives as well.

Day 78: Friday Service at Alpine Anglican

A tousled-hair B helps Father Acker prepare for Communion. Worshiping God simply, with prayer, Scriptures, and Communion, is the spiritual highlight of my week. And I love being surrounded by things that remind me of Jesus: icons depicting scenes from His life, candles reminding me that He is the Light of the World, the liturgical colors showing me that this is a season of fasting and repentance. And kneeling before God as I confess my sins is cleansing and brings such an indwelling of His peace that I wish the service went on for hours....

Day 57: Lenten Mass

Mass in Victoria House this morning -- with icons, candlelight, the 1928 prayer book on its stand, the wafers and chalice for the Eucharist, and draped over a chair is the purple chasuble used for penitential seasons. And so a dining room becomes a chapel.

Day 22: Children of the World Choir

Last night the Children of the World choir performed at Lake Murray. Last year they brought kids from several countries such as India, China, the Philippines, and different African countries. Only children from the Kampala region of Uganda were in the choir this time, and we really enjoyed watching and hearing them dance and sing praise songs and learning their stories. All have lost one parent to AIDS, some of them both parents. The ones who lost only one parent were often abandoned. You can read more about the amazing choir and the incredible kids (E is pictured above with two of them) and their organization that houses, feeds, and educates orphaned and abandoned children around the world by clicking here: Children of Hope. I will write more about it on my regular blog: Meditative Meanderings.

Day 5: Twelfth Night of Christmas

J, B and I attended Twelfth Night festivities at Victoria House, the vicarage for Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity. A good number of parishoners arrived to celebrate the Twelfth Night of Christmas and the Eve of the Epiphany.


The key to a Twelfth Night gathering is the lighting of the greenery, thus making a bonfire that symbolizes the light of Christ in a dark world. B had the honor of lighting the dry greenery that started the fire as Father Acker helps him.

After the bonfire started burning well (and smoking a great deal!), Father prayed aloud the Collect for Epiphany from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.

A blessed Epiphanytide to you all!

Retreat: Sunday

Julie was one of the four speakers, or as she prefers, "sharers," this weekend. Her testimony is one of God's saving grace and merciful protection -- so inspirational to hear how He has worked in each life.



This weekend was a wonderful time in the Word as well as a blessed gathering of friends for fun and prayer.



Sunday worship rocked! I loved all of the hymns sprinkled in amongst the GOOD praise music -- the stuff that goes far beyond 7/11 songs (7 lines sung 11 times).

Retreat: Saturday

A group of friends came over to our house (as we're only two miles from the camp) to see Keith's stained glass window. When they saw the treehouse, they were up the ladder and leaning over the railing in a trice -- including May, who will keep on climbing trees until her 90's, I'm sure.... (L 2 R: Susan, Diana, Julie, May, Linda -- and four of the group stayed on the ground, taking photos of the brave conquerors of the treehouse.)



A first-time group photo of 46/50 of us, I believe. A few weren't here for the photo, but the vast majority were. We had such gorgeous weather for our retreat -- spring in our town just doesn't get better than this.



My two best pals at church, Kitty and Diana, and myself, after lunch in the dining hall. We're all laughing at Kitty's joke about trying to stick our small chests out for the photo.... :)

Retreat: Friday

This weekend was my 14th retreat with the women of Lake Murray, a time I look forward to each year with much anticipation. This year was another wonderful time with some great memories:



In our dorm, I left Diana a path to the bathroom so she can locate it easily in the night; each heart is a handwritten note of encouragement that she'll get to the toilet without, um, incident.



The camp is gorgeous in the late afternoon sunlight.



My two friends from here in town, Teri and Sheri, enjoy our retreat as well -- Teri's first year with us, and Sheri's third year. They were part of our group this weekend, and I really enjoyed having them here.

It's such a great weekend ... the only downside is that time passes so quickly when we're all together at camp.

Friday: Holy Saturday Icon

B and I attended Easter Week Holy Eucharist on Friday. I was mesmerized by the icon on the side wall, the one showing Jesus descending to Sheol to rescue the captives. I love seeing the gates of Sheol, symbolizing death, crushed under His feet....

Saturday: The Great Vigil

At the opening of the Holy Saturday Vigil, Father Acker lights the Paschal Candle with fire started from flint and steel before we process with candles inside to read Scripture and pray together in perhaps the most solemn and ancient liturgy of the Anglican Tradition. It's simply beautiful to read Scripture together by candlelight as we prepare for the coming Resurrection!

Holy Communion at Victoria Chapel

For the past three-and-a-half years, B and I have been attending the Friday Morning Prayer and Healing Service with Father Acker, first at Christ the King Episcopal and then at Alpine Anglican Church of the Blessed Trinity. And since the earliest days, Father has been training B in altar serving. So here B pours the water and the wine into the chalice as Father "cleans up" (for lack of a better term) after we all received Communion. The daffodils remind me that Lent is nearing its end and that the Celebration of the Resurrection is not far in the future....

Friday: Victoria Chapel

Aaaah, the peace of this tiny chapel -- of the candlelight shining on the chalice, of the crucifix on the wall behind the altar, of voices intoning ancient prayers and holy scriptures, of the tang of the wine when it touches my tongue, and of the grace of God that is nearly palpable -- all in this single-pewed chapel.

Sunday: Happy Birthday, Mr. William!

William, our illustrious Sunday School teacher, was feted with a round of "Happy Birthday" by the class. And our head elder gifted him with this oh-so-fashionable birthday headpiece which, I must admit, was a bit distracting as William taught us Matthew 26.

Friday: B and Fr. Acker

After the Friday Healing Service this morning, Father Acker presented B with a Jerusalem cross necklace in celebration of B's baptism. B really loves it, even if he has to look into the sun for this photo....

B's Baptism

Pastor Nathan questions B about his faith in Christ just before baptizing him in the Reynolds' jacuzzi this gorgeously warm January day.

If you'd like to see my post about B's baptism, click here to see my regular blog: Meditative Meanderings.

Twelfth Night

The Advent candles, which we enjoy fully-lit throughout Christmastide, are lit for the last time tonight, the Twelfth Night of Christmas.



At the Twelfth Night party at Victoria House, Father Acker, his wife Alice, and other Anglicans (the kids tossed theirs on first) toss greenery onto the fire (inside tonight because of the raging storm) to symbolize the light of Christ going out into the darkness of the world. We prayed the Evening Office of Prayer before the "bonfire" and enjoyed sherry and trifle -- oooh-so-British -- afterward. (Alice makes the BEST trifle -- I've been looking forward to it all winter.) A lovely way to ring out Christmastide and welcome the season of Epiphany!

At Victoria Chapel

This crucifix took the place of the icon of Christ in Victoria Chapel this morning. B and I enjoy the Friday Anglican services so much; B has been doing acolyte duties for more than three years as he helps Father Acker prepare for Communion and clean up afterwards. This tiny chapel is such a place of peaceful meditation for me... a spiritual highlight of my week.