I hope you all had a blessed Easter holiday. My Easter was full. Full of reflection, of food, of reconnecting, of setting-up, or tearing down...the list goes on. I am thankful for the wonderful time I had with gathered friends, and am thankful for the rest that comes with the end of a holiday :)
I took Good Friday off, so that I could participate in the Pax Christi Stations of the Cross. Each year Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship leads a station in the prayer walk, and the MVSers provide the reflection and prayers. Our Good Friday reflections and prayer were featured in the April 1st issue of The Mennonite.
It was an interesting experience. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it. Katie and I arrived about half an hour before our scheduled station, so we took part in the march. As we were marching from one station to the next in midtown, we passed a woman who appeared to be homeless arguing with who appeared to be her pimp. I want to be clear that this is my perception of the exchange. It very well may have been something completely different. I walked past her. I didn't offer to help. I felt very strange about that decision. As a collection of 100 followers of Christ, isn't it our job to stop and ensure her safety and well-being? Yet I didn't see anyone stop to offer assistance. Again, my eyes were just one pair of many. Maybe someone did help, and I missed it. I felt like the Levite or the Pharisee in Jesus' Good Samaritan story. This is something I continue to struggle with in the city: responding to the destitute need I see on the streets. Reconciling my own wealth and privilege, to that of my friends, co-workers, clients, and passerbys.
Our station was number 11, Jesus is nailed to the cross. We were asked to reflect on nonviolence. The location for the station was Times Square, right next to the Recruitment post, in the heart of Times Square. It was very odd. Katie and I stood on top of a flat-bed pick-up truck, and addressed a crowd of about 100 people. Because it was Times Square, tourists were everywhere. I am sure my picture was taken at least 100 times, and I made it into several videos. I felt more like a spectacle than a speaker.
I spent the rest of Friday and all of Saturday reconnecting with friends I haven't seen in a while. I have been very lucky to make strong friendships in the city both within Menno House and outside it. I am thankful for a job where I work the expected 40 a week, and then have evenings and weekends free to spend time with friends.
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| Katie and I at the station |
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| MMF folks came out to support us! |
On Sunday, I woke up to Katie and her boy friend Josh making Easter breakfast: waffles, fruit, and coffee. It was wonderful.
After an hour or so, Sara and Laura got back from church, and they made their own Easter brunch. Yay me for getting second breakfast :)
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| http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mb2z40WKWK1reeaavo1_500.jpg |
They made deeeee-licious eggs benedict, mimosas, and a berry salad. Leah read us the story of resurrection from the Gospel according to John, and we had a wonderful celebration of the day, and each other's company and phenomenal cooking abilities :)
I signed up to decorate the church for Easter. During Lent, "Longing for Light" was our theme song. We purposefully had no candles. It was my job to light up the worship space for Easter to celebrate. How do you think I did?
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