I took this photo during this afternoon’s Tre Ore Good Friday service at Holy Communion. In the background you can see Pastor Jeff Barrow in the pulpit, preaching on the first of the so-called Seven Last Words of Jesus. . . “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It was a wonderful sermon, by the way- which he began by talking about a moment during church on September 16, 2001- the first Sunday after 9-11. One of the most memorable moments of that service- and I remember it well myself – was when the assisting minister, Steve Smith, in the midst of his beautifully written and though-provoking prayers of the church, after praying for those who had been killed, those still missing, those displaced from their homes, those still living in fear and bewilderment, those working to help the suffering . . . after all of that, he had us praying for our enemies. Jeff said that at that moment, one of the young acolytes up front jerked to attention and glanced over at Steve with this absolutely incredulous look on his face. That’s what real forgiveness is all about, of course- and it was a marvelous image to evoke today in remembering these amazing words spoken by Jesus from the cross.
In the foreground of the photo are two incredible people from Holy Communion, Dick and Effie Reitsma – who were two of the 67 people who somehow got themselves to Holy Communion this afternoon for some or all of the Tre Ore service. Dick is a sweet but tough guy, contending with a host of health issues, but still here and one of the most determined people I know when it comes to getting to church even on a day like today. As I was sitting up in the balcony, waiting for the service to begin (I’m always the organist for this service) I caught a glimpse of Dick making his way down the side aisle with his walker and decided that I had to capture the sight with my camera. When I think of some of the people in this world who can’t get to church for the flimsiest of reasons – because it rained the day before – because they’re getting their hair done on Tuesday – because they got “only” 9 hours of sleep the night before – I am filled with admiration and gratitude for the Dick Reitsmas of the world who don’t let a little thing like a blizzard keep them from church. Of course, it is exactly because of people like Dick and Effie that we have to cancel church on days like this – because you know that if you don’t, those die-hard souls will most likely risk life and limb to get there when they really should be home. But nonetheless, that kind of zeal is astonishing to me; too bad it can’t be bottled and sold- or better yet, introduced directly into our drinking water and spread throughout the population. Now that would change the world.