Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

It was a remarkable privilege to have Archbishop Fred Hiltz with us from Palm Sunday to Easter Day. The care and wisdom he brought to the week was a blessing for us. He came, in part, to be with us during our 250th anniversary year, but mostly, I think, it was just to spend this holy time with us, people he considers friends. We are thankful for his ministry and for being with us during Holy Week.

Many people acknowledged the work that I put into the week. And it was significant, I won’t belittle my efforts or the compliments that I received. However, this year’s Holy Week and Easter was one of those times that didn’t feel like work. It was a joy. I received much more than I gave; it was a great blessing to have played a role in the week’s activities.

At some point during the week, as someone thanked me for my efforts, I realized just how easy it all was. That’s right: easy. It was easy because I never asked anyone for anything. Everything that happened, in terms of preparing for the week, or things that happened during the week was done by volunteers. And not by conscription. Everything that needed to happen happened because someone stepped up and volunteered, before being asked. What a great joy it is to be a part of a community blessed with such eagerness and skill. In fact, we had more volunteers than we had things for people to do. So, yes, it was easy.

The challenge is not to lose ourselves in our self-satisfaction, but to build on the good and positive energy Fred acknowledged is alive and well in us. Energy that is the result of being set aglow by the Holy Spirit, and we are empowered to do God’s will.

An aside:

I took Fred out for lunch after the worship on Easter morning and made sure he made it to the airport on time. His office at Church House in Toronto is in the same building as PWRDF. Several times Fred said how much he was looking forward to delivering the cheque directly to the PWRDF office. He said they will be very happy. Fred also said that if he must be honoured in some way, that’s just how he wants it to be.