Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
Revelation 22:1
Good morning, friends! My first request, if you have not already read the post, is to take a look at my reflection on the life of dear friend and ministry colleague Mark Prater, who passed away yesterday: “Moving into the Great Arc of Forever: RIP Mark Prater.”
Many of the comments, both here and on FaceBook, add even deeper layers of meaning and reflection; I am grateful for your thoughtfulness.
Photo Friday: Church and Good Food
This time last week I was kicking off the weekend in northern Ohio. The memories are still as warm as the temperatures were cold, and if you are looking for some great photographs there are lots to be had.
But today I will start off in one of my favorite local spots, the churchyard at Calvary Episcopal, especially at night. Late Thursday evening Max and I strolled though at the end of our walk and this view of the sanctuary grabbed my attention. My friend Mark also played in the Episcopalian Church during his career, and I wondered if I listened with enough imagination I could hear the dulcet tones of the pipe organ, playing Elgar’s “Nimrod” as he so often did as a prelude at memorials.
In a similar vein, one of our historians at Howard Memorial recently discovered this photograph of the original sanctuary from 1874, when HMPC went by the name of Tarboro Presbyterian Church.
The sanctuary, described architecturally as “Carpenter Gothic”, was moved across town to house another congregation when the current classic edifice was built (1908-1909). The 1874 structure stood until irreparably devastated by the catastrophic floods of 1999. Around a decade ago, when our church restored and absorbed the Old Town Cemetery, one of the spires was unearthed and incorporated into the garden design as a memorial for commissioned lay pastor Peggy Rogers Youngblood Leggett.
Lenten Study:
Rebekah and I were pleasantly surprised at the level of interest for the Lenten Bible-study she is offering Wednesday evenings.
Maybe it has added credibility because the church advertises Wednesdays as the “Annual Lenten Lecture Series.” Sounds prestigious!
Regardless of how we describe it, we are meeting throughout Lent as a church family, sharing dinner together in the fellowship hall followed by Bible-study in the sanctuary.
Rebekah is using Adam Hamilton’s excellent study of Luke’s Gospel. Lots to look forward to here.
None other lamb:
Okay, so please excuse me having fun with the classic hymn title (Christian Rossetti). But this addresses my historically English snobbery when it comes to good lamb. Brits tend to turn their noses up at anything other than the tender New Zealand cuts we are used to.
Here in Tarboro, however, this is the third time I have purchased lamb-chops, and they have been delicious. So I marinated, tenderized, and slow cooked these beauties before serving with mint sauce, a scalloped potato casserole that worked beautifully and mixed veggies.
My final image this morning is of the Tar, early in the day, reminding me that – even though the Tar is a little cloudy), “The river of the water of life flows clear as crystal, that the tree of life yields its fruit in season, and that the leaves of the tree of life are for our healing and the healing of the nations…” and that for my friend Mark (and eventually all of us), “they will see his face… and there will be no more night…. and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever…” (Revelation 22:1-5, paraphrased)
In love, and because of love – DEREK
