HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Alleluia!!! Christ is Risen!!!!! HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!! It's been one hell of a week...from trying to do school work and work to getting to services for the week...I don't feel that I was able to focus on Holy Week as much as I was last year on the AT, but I'm inclined to believe that that was a definite once-in-a-lifetime deal. But this year's Holy Week wasn't bad...Maundy Thursday was good. Mike preached, and I got this great idea for a sermon. Usually I don't write those things down, but this time I did. Which was good. If you want to read it, let me know and I'll send it to you. And then Good Friday was a weird mix of the solemn and the beautiful...it was hard to sit in church for three hours during a most glorious Friday afternoon (I actually only stayed for 2.5 because of the weather...). And then the Easter Vigil...it was how Easter vigils are supposed to be, with the presiding priest SHOUTING ALLELUIA!!!! None of this namby-pamby polite mumbo jumbo. Easter this morning wasn't bad...kind of flat compared to last night though. It was just so crowded at church--which is great don't get me wrong--but it all felt a little rushed. I've been having this issue lately with rished Eucharist. Every Sunday at church I end up with the same priest giving out communion. And I always feel that she's rushing it. I'm used to a much more intentional experience...I look at the person giving me communion and usually he/she puts it in my hand with intention. This particular priest seems to rush through it, like it's all about getting it to as many people as possible as quickly. And I understand that it's a big church...but people aren't going anywhere. I just hate feeling like I'm on the communion assembly line. And what makes it worse is that I'm always checking to see if I'll have her for communion, and when I move to a different part of the church the next week I still have her! And then I start to feel somewhat resentful...maybe it's ego I'm struggling with here, I'm not sure. I just don't feel that the Eucharist is something that should be rushed. I always try to be very intentional when I'm giving bread or wine to another, I guess I just hope for the same in return. Oh well. Anyway, the weather today was perfect Easter weather...reminds me of Easter weather when I was a kid. Just wish I could have been home with my family for it. But I was still gathered with my family in Christ, and ALLELUIA!!!! It feels so good to get to say that again : ) May you all have a blessed Easter season!!!