Please note: CHANGE OF TIME: Our liturgy will return to 5:00PM on April 15th, the Sunday after Easter!

Dear Friends,

Many have asked "when will you be returning to the 5:00PM time

for liturgy....last week those present at liturgy opted to wait until after Easter for this change. So as indicated above, the Sunday after Easter we will return to the 5:00PM time. A number of people have very much enjoyed the earlier hour, and some have been eager for the return to the later time. The upcoming months will give us a nice opportunity to reflect on which is the better time for the community to gather.

Perhaps the change of time makes you a bit angry? If so, you'd be right in step with Jesus in the gospel for this week. Jesus is more than a bit upset; he's furious, whipping through the gougers taking advantage of the call to sacrificial offering! This, for me, has always been a bit of a disturbing image. Believe it or not, I really don't like to 'rock the boat'....even if I was ordained in an "irregular" ordination on a rocky boat....an act which ultimately created more than a few waves! I've learned through my life, however, the value of well-placed anger, and appreciate that it's not the feeling of anger itself that's problematic, rather it's how we 'hold' it...or not...work with it...or annihilate with it! Anger, well utilized, can be a positive force for change, moving men and mountains previously thought impenetrable. Anger misused, can destroy vulnerable spirits and wipe out any option for peace and possibility for hope filled resolutions or reconciliation. Thich Nhat Hanh, in what will be our 2nd reading for Sunday's liturgy, shares an image of anger as 'compost' that we share you below.

"When we are angry, our anger is our very self. To suppress or chase it away is to suppress or chase away our self. When we are joyful, we are the joy. When we are angry, we are the anger. When anger is born in us, we can be aware that anger is an energy in us and we can accept that energy in order to transform it into another kind of energy. When we have a compost bin filled with organic material which is decomposing and smelly, we know that we can transform the waste into beautiful flowers. At first, we may see the compost and the flowers as opposite, but when we look deeply, we see that the flowers already exist in the compost, and the compost already exists in the flowers. It only takes a couple of weeks for a flower to decompose. When a good organic farmer looks into her compost, she can see that, and she does not feel sad or disgusted. Instead, she values the rotting material and does not discriminate against it. It takes only a few months for compost to give birth to flowers. We need the insight and non-dual vision of the organic gardener with regard to our anger. We need not be afraid of it or reject it. We know that anger can be a kind of compost, and that it is within its power to give birth to something beautiful. We need anger in the way the organic gardener needs compost. If we know how to accept our anger, we already have some peace and joy. Gradually we can transform anger completely into peace, love, and understanding. " (Thich Nhat Hanh)

At The Spirit of Life, through our time of prayer and sharing together, we work together to grow in our self-understanding and in our relationships with God and with God's people. It is our prayer that what we as a community experience in our praying together will overflow into the rest of our lives, making us more fully human and more 'whole'....holy! We invite you to join us in this endeavor and journey with us as we seek to grow in our love of God and to grow in our capacity to be living expressions of God's loving peace and justice in our world.

May this Lenten journey be one that expands and deepens your experience of God's presence in your life,

Jean & Ron