THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN'S

Photo credit: Randal Storey

THE GREAT TRIDUUM

A MESSAGE  From Beth+ and Gordon Please click on the photo to see a video from us!

MAUNDY THURSDAY Online, Anytime An Evening Liturgy of the Word for Maundy Thursday provided by Christ Church Cathedral.

SSJE MAUNDY THURSDAY Online, Anytime A Maundy Thursday service filmed from the Monastery Chapel of the Society of St John the Evangelist in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Please note that physical proximity in the course of this service reflects the brothers' status as a closed community during this time of pandemic.

GOOD FRIDAY Online, Anytime Thank you to our Cathedral for this beautiful meditative Good Friday service.

ST CLARE'S STATIONS OF THE CROSS Online, Anytime During Holy Week 2018, St Clare’s published 14 short blog posts , each containing a ‘Station of the Cross’, comprising a picture and a short meditation. The pictures are all images taken in the Coventry Cathedral ruins and surrounding area. They were designed to be an aid to prayer and reflection at home, or in-situ at the Cathedral.

PRAY

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH When the going gets tough may I resist my first impulse to wade in, fix, explain, resolve, and restore. May I sit down instead. When the going gets tough may I be quiet. May I steep for a while in stillness. When the going gets tough may I have faith that things are unfolding as they are meant to. May I remember that my life is what it is, not what I ask for. May I find the strength to bear it, the grace to accept it, the faith to embrace it. When the going gets tough may I practice with what I’m given, rather than wish for something else. When the going gets tough may I assume nothing. May I not take it personally. May I opt for trust over doubt, compassion over suspicion, vulnerability over vengeance. When the going gets tough may I open my heart before I open my mouth. When the going gets tough may I be the first to apologize. May I leave it at that. May I bend with all my being toward forgiveness. When the going gets tough may I look for a door to step through rather than a wall to hide behind. When the going gets tough may I turn my gaze up to the sky above my head, rather than down to the mess at my feet. May I count my blessings. When the going gets tough may I pause, reach out a hand, and make the way easier for someone else. When the going gets tough may I remember that I’m not alone. May I be kind. When the going gets tough may I choose love over fear. Every time. Amen. by Katrina Kenison

REFLECT

THE FRIENDS THAT KEPT JESUS' FAVORITE BEER IN THE FRIDGE A Mini-Sermon for Maundy Thursday Nadia Bolz-Weber talks about how hard it is to receive love.

MAUNDY THURSDAY IN A PANDEMIC Dismantling the lie that we can ever live merely for ourselves Martha Tatarnic serves as the rector of St George's Anglican Church in St Catharines and writes in Ministry Matters.

THE VIRAL THRESHOLD Refractions Blog "We are in the perfect place in the calendar of the church to speak about and into the loss of the familiar and the uncertainty of the outcome. You could easily call Holy Week by another name: “Things-Are-Never-Going-To-Be-The-Same Week”. The week begins with Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and ends with his execution, with his friends and followers cowering behind locked doors." Michael Thompson, General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada writes.

LEARNING TO WAIT IN THE DARK A Holy Saturday Reflection "Holy Saturday reminds me that one has to learn how to be Christian," begins Barbara Brown Taylor in this excellent piece.

RELAX

Feel like escaping to a cabin deep in the woods? To make the trip, no need to play Tetris with the luggage in the trunk of the car, nor to take out the GPS. All you have to do is change your state of mind by taking inspiration from some simple tips. Because when you think about it, the cabin is not so much a physical place in itself, but rather a moment where we take the time to live. Welcome to your home cabin. Or cabin home? Enjoy this article, in collaboration with Alex Béraud, Social Media Advisor at Sépaq.

ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST ANGLICAN CHURCH www.stjohnsottawa.ca  154 Somerset Street West, Ottawa, ON K2P 0H8 613-232-4500 office@stjohnsottawa.ca On facebook! here ---> StJfb  The Reverend Canon Beth Bretzlaff, Rector  The Reverend Dr Caroline Ducros, Deacon BGen (Ret’d) The Venerable John Fletcher, Honourary Assistant  The Reverend Canon Dr Gary Hauch, Honourary Assistant The Reverend Michael Hicks, Honourary Assistant Emeritus Dr Gordon Johnston, FRCCO, Organist and Choirmaster  Laura Macdonald, Church Administrator  Detlef Dransch, Rector’s Warden  Bev Humphries , People's Warden