Mary Beth from RevGalBlogPals writes:

Holy Week is upon us.

Realizing that most of our readers are clergy, and that clergy don’t necessarily have the opportunity to fully worship when they are responsible for leading (creating, writing, facilitating) worship:

I invite you to share five favorite Holy Week things, five things that are truly worshipful for you. It may be that it’s the way they are done in your congregation (or were done in a previous one).  It may be your personal preparation for certain services or observances.

Breathe.  Be still.  Look to the week ahead, and Holy Weeks past, and imagine the worship.

This is timely and a true blessing to complete. I am finishing my fourth unit of CPE and spent a great deal of time reflecting on where I have grown and where my growing edges remain. One of my reflections included the fact that I have strengthened my own Spiritual Pathways (based off of Gary Thomas’ book) and in spite of life’s events and challenges, feel a stronger connection than ever to my God.

For this Holy Week, here are some things which I will rest in…

1. Taking time to do something that engages the beauty of the world around me. It may even be a chore (like gardening) but I will do it in the Spirit of experiencing and enjoying the Presence of God.

2. Stopping to pray and sing a few hymns… probably I’ll just open up the hymnal when everyone has gone to school/work. For certain, it will include a few “yards” of Bach. (The term “yard” is from my dad — but aptly describes the chorales in the form that organists see them.)

3. Reminding myself that one day, we all will bow down to the only wise God, and our shouts of Hosannah! will ring true. In contrast to Bach, this is a contemporary song, but I love the words and their intent.

4. Time with family. This year I will be on the West Coast with my sister and other family members. Other years, we’ve gone to the beach. It doesn’t matter, as long as I’m sharing this season with my kin.

5. Re-read the Passion Scriptures.

Bonus:  a piece of music that “is” Holy Week for you.

This is a really hard one… And I can’t pick just one. For starters, O Sacred Head and Were You There? for Good Friday. Then on Easter, Handel’s Messiah.  But in between, it will depend on my mood and what speaks to my heart. It could be instrumental, choral, contemporary or classical.