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Rev. Carolyn Eklund, Rector
March 2009
Cultivating a prayerful posture during Lent
helps us deepen our connection with God. But
another important practice of Lent that
helps us deepen our relationship with our
neighbor in need is almsgiving. Jesus gives
us good, concrete advice about the attitude
we are to have when we give money and things
away to help others. In his words from the
Sermon on the Mount, we are guided as
Christians, not only in the season of Lent,
but in our daily lives.
Jesus said, “Be careful! When you do good
things, don’t do them in front of people to
be seen by them. If you do that, you will
have no reward from your Father in heaven.
When you give to the poor, don’t be like the
hypocrites. They blow trumpets in the
synagogues and on the streets so that people
will see them and honor them…When you give
to the poor, don’t let anyone know what you
are doing. Your giving should be done in
secret.” (Matthew 6:1-4, The Youth Bible)
In the time of Jesus’ ministry, Jews like us
today, had many different attitudes about
charitable giving. Back then there was even
a place in Jerusalem near the temple called
the “chamber of secrets.”
Sounds like a “Harry Potter” movie, doesn’t
it?! But this chamber was a place set aside
where people could quietly leave gifts for
the needy. They could give in secret and the
people who were in need could “slip in
unnoticed and claim the goods without
embarrassment.” (“Sidelight”, The Youth
Bible)
In today’s households, some families create
an Alms Box so that the children and other
family members can collect money from the
things they have gone without in Lent to
give to the needy. I’ll never forget Grace
Woodall-MacQuaide going to her family,
friends and neighbors to take up a
collection for purchasing toiletries for our
guests in the homeless shelter.
This year, it was just after Christmas (not
at all in Lent), after a bad year of
unemployment, that the urgent need in Haiti
was thrust upon the world after the
earthquake in Port-au-Prince. During worship
here at Grace, in the two Sundays following
the earthquake, even when there was no
directed appeal, this congregation raised
over $1,600 with no fanfare or trumpet
blowing. I also know that even more has been
sent “in secret.” No one’s budget was
prepared for this disaster. Yet we opened
our souls and our wallets to the need.
And we will continue to do so in Lent. On
March 27 at 7:00 PM Grace Church is opening
our doors to continue to offer support for
the need in Haiti. Our Grace friend, Farah
Pidgeon, has organized an evening of art and
music to support Episcopal Relief and
Development,
www.er-d.org and the Clinton/Bush Haiti
Fund,
www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.
Our own Ivan Lo will exhibit his artwork for
this event. Plainfield artist Darlene Foster
and New York resident and artist Jeremy
Langdon will also be exhibiting. All artists
are offering 50% of their sales toward Haiti
Relief. There will be music, too. Mark
Miller, the director of the Plainfield
Community Gospel Choir will be returning to
Grace with his choir to inspire us once
again with their gospel music. The nominal
entry price is $10 and includes the music,
art and refreshments. Farah is looking
forward to the community of Plainfield
coming together. She says, “It will be a
time for people to come together and support
Haiti while enjoying art and music. An added
bonus is the opportunity to buy some art.”
Let me conclude my March Pastor’s Page with
a poignant blog entry a 16-year-old Haitian
girl recorded after the Earthquake. It is
taken from the website,
UTNE.com. (I was put in touch with this
website as we researched and planned for our
Black History observances at Grace by
members of the Black History Committee.
Thank you to all my sisters in Christ on the
committee, Mary Testori, Carrie Hayes, Anita
Griffith and Sherrie Russell-Brown.)
A
16-year-old blogger who calls herself,
Krizkadiak, as reported by Bennett Gordon.
“I saw my school fall in front of me.
I saw people running covered in dust,
hearing that their houses fell…sometimes
with people in them.
I saw a refugee camp, as they are on
TV…people praying, people alive but not
really…
I saw a baby half dead, covered in
band-aids…
I saw a friend at the cemetery burying
his little cousin.
I saw the oldest and prettiest houses of
jacmel reduced to nothing.
I saw pickup truck filled with corpses…
I saw my teacher walking to the cemetery
behind the car where his wife’s dead
body was…
I saw kids from my school, people i
KNOW, at the refugee camp…
And lots of stuff…I hear about dead
people every second, tsunami alerts when
I know I leave at the beach, stupid
people trynna take profit, no gas, no
food.
But what I didn’t see though….is the
Haitian police and the Mayor, shame.”
Last month I wrote about the five finger
prayer. Look at the Intercession finger and
pray for our needy neighbors. May all the
people who suffer in our world be offered to
God on our lips and fingers that they may
receive God’s consolation, healing and
peace.
And finally, please don’t forget that Holy
Week begins with Palm Sunday, March 28. Make
it your commitment to spend Holy Week and
Easter with the body of Christ at Grace
Church, your neighborhood church in
Plainfield. I am your friend in
Christ.
Blessings,
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