A Holy Week Labyrinth

I've spent a bit of Lent searching for some Labyrinth "stage" words that were appropriate for Holy Week, and found nothing.   Eventually I admitted defeat and wrote something of my own.   It is still a work in progress and may change before Sunday night.   However for others who might appreciate a help in creating something I'm putting it here.

The Holy Week Labyrinth

Welcome to the Holy Week Labyrinth.

Labyrinths were once an ancient form of pilgrimage for those who would not make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
Today this Labyrinth also offers a pilgrimage-
some time away from the differing tasks and noises of life –
and instead dwell in the moment here in this place within God’s love.

Our Holy Week Labyrinth starts under the Palms and the cheerful noise of crowds; allows for expressions of anger and encourages us to think about how we can react positively; soothes the calluses and sores of past hurts;
meets us in the moments when we betray the ones we love and Christ himself; before finally standing at the cross with the hopes of what we would hope to be finished in God’s embrace of love.


Make yourself comfortable for the journey...

Leave your coat or jacket on a pew....

If you feel comfortable, take of your shoes and walk in bare or stocking feet...

Breathe slowly and enjoy the time of resting in faith...

Take your time,...

and pause for as long as you need at each station.

 

Station 1


Palm Branches
(Prop - Palm branch or tree)
“...a great multitude that had come to the fast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!’”

Safety in numbers.
Is that why we like worship?
We can leave behind our personal thoughts and be pulled into the crowd mentality.
We get lost in the throng,
blend away and hope that the Holy Spirit won’t disturb us,
by moving her wild nature, and ask us to be extraordinary.

Palm branches waving around us...
...offering us cover to walk away from the crowd,
and share a journey to a cross.

Away from the safety of the crowd...
...leaving the noise of the world behind.

Away from the safety of the crowd...
...we focus on the sound of swaying branches...
...the passing breeze...
...the temperate climate.

Away from the safety of the crowd...
...we follow the Way of Christ.


Station 2


Holy Anger
(prop - building bricks)

“In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!’”

What makes you angry?

What frustration could be placed within these blocks before you?


When knocked down take time to experience the noise and the sense of release from the anger.


Often we say that something makes us “sad”, when in fact what we mean is that something makes us “angry”.
We believe that it is “unfaithful” to be angry.

Yet Jesus got angry...
...and in his anger with situations he did not just cause disruption...
...but sought to encourage others to think of ways to change...
...that God’s community might grow in its love and respect of each other


Now take time to rebuild the bricks...

In building take time to think how an expression of your anger might be used constructively in some of the situations that affect the communities you are part of.


Station 3


Anointing
(prop - hand cream)

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume: she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume”

“After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”


Have a seat and make yourself comfortable.

Take a little of the hand cream before you
and work it into your hands or your feet.

First notice your skin...
...see the colour, the imperfections, the marks left by daily tasks.


Now as you smooth the cream in around the joints and knuckles ...
...notice the sensation of touch.
How does the skin feel? What bones can you feel beneath?

Then encounter the fragrance...
...heady or light...
...evocative of past encounters, loving words,
or times of struggle


When another places their hand upon us...
...we are reminded of our humanity
and the care compassion of the other.


When we reach out the hand of friendship in Christ’s name...
...we ensure that another knows that they belong within the community we seek to create.


Station 4


Betrayal
(prop - silver coins)

“Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees.”

Betrayer or betrayed ...
...it hurts.

When we find others have spoken harshly about us,
or have let us down in love,
or failed to speak up for us in public...
...we feel the pain of every word spoken (or not spoken)
as though it is being hammered into our flesh.


Not always the innocents though...
...we too jab at others with our words...
...our inaction...
...our lack of trust in all that we are taught in Christ’s name.


Silver pieces mark that so often we respond to others in a worldly way...
...rather than a Godly way.

We act out of what is best for us as individuals...
...rather than recognising the cost to the community.


Lifting the silver today,
will we replace it in recognition of our desire
to live out God’s love in community.


Station 5


The Cross
(props - wooden cross, cut out flower shapes, pencils)

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”


While reaching the foot of the cross marks the end of our Labyrinth journey,
the cross in Christian faith marks an end and a beginning.


Jesus speaks the words , ‘It is finished’,
and we hear this as more than a statement that his life has come to an end.
Instead we hear them as a comment of the strength of the old ways of human existence being challenged by his way,
a way where all people matter,
no matter their gender, age, ability, or colour.


The cross marks a beginning of hope.
Death gives way to possibilities of new things.
While we might struggle with the notion of an afterlife
we understand the need for resurrection, for re-birth.


Take time before you leave to clothe the cross with a mark of your hope for and end to something that will allow new hope or growth in your life, or the life of the community you are part of.

Flowers and pencils are available.
Feel free to either simply attach a flower,
or to write what it is that needs completed for there to be rebirth,
and then attaching it.


Your Journey Home

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.




traditional gaelic blessing



 

"Old"

For a while, although I would be hard pressed to tell you how long, when I've been referring to readings from what is considered the "Old Testament" as "A reading from the Older Testament".   It started at some point last year when the RCL focus was on Mark, as the more we worked away through the Gospel, the more connected to the Hebraic texts that lay behind the story I felt.   The more we lived in the Gospel of Mark, the more I found some of the literature from the older part of the Bible come alive.  (One of the beauties of the Revised Common Lectionary is that you do return to texts, and I'm now on my fifth time round on them and still finding things I hadn't noticed before.)

In the process of that happening I wanted to remind the congregation that our faith had it's roots in something ancient, and yet something that still had value for the world today.   I know this is semantics and for most people in the congregation it probably didn't desperately matter whether they were "Scripture Readings" or "Old Testament Readings" or from the Gospels or from the letters.   However underlying my chain of thought was that we tend to disregard what is "old" as being something to be cast aside or worthless - unless of course it is antique.   We even do it with people which is one of the reasons I very rarely refer to "old" people, but prefer "older", reminding myself at the very least that all opinions matter.

I was conscious that some of the American churches used the word "original", but I suspected that wouldn't work so well.   And I thought that people might struggle to make a leap to "Hebrew" Bible.   So I settled with "Older".

There's not been a furore.   In fact I wonder if most people have even noticed.   However last week our new organist asked, and so I explained the above.   Tonight at our worship team meeting one of the congregation representatives raised it saying that one person near her had turned to someone who was about to read and said "if you read "older", then I will get up and walk out of the church."   So we chatted through why, and an article will make its way into the magazine sometime.   But in the meantime we need to get across to readers that they say what they are comfortable with.

Only one negative comment.   But if it is making people uncomfortable do I need to review it - or is this one of those occasions where the discomfort is probably worth the while?   Something to ponder over before we make it to the Management Committee meeting or eventually the Kirk Session meeting.   Of course the naughty thing to do would be to try "Hebrew Scriptures" or "Original Testament" and see what is said then.

But I'm not naughty!