James Derkits

Originally Published in the South Jetty Newspaper I hope you are able to read this in time to find yourself a Good Friday service. Even better, visit a church that offers a Maundy Thursday service, too. These days, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday come before we arrive at Easter or Resurrection Sunday. I am looking forward to gathering again at Roberts Point Park for our Community Easter Sunrise Celebration, but Resurrection doesn't come without Good Friday.  I love the old tradition that I learned of reading St. Gregory of Nyssa: the Devil believed he was in control and had great plans for Good Friday. He had waited until the opportune time, and finally stirred up a mob to convince the religious leaders and political leaders that it was best to assassinate this man who some believed to be the Messiah. Jesus, who was proclaiming the presence of a heavenly kingdom that would reign in the hearts of people, not from a palace.  "Love one another," was the command to those who

     This year my church and many Christians around the world are reading through the Gospel of St. Luke. The Gospel of St. Mark can be easily identified by the repeated use of the word, "immediately." You get a sense of the urgency of the Good News from events happening right on the heels of other events in Mark's Gospel. In St. Luke's Gospel, we hear again and again of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The other obvious feature of the Gospel according to Luke is the presence of prayer. Jesus repeatedly goes off alone to pray, especially before big events. The experience of Jesus's transfiguration takes place while he is praying up on the mountain, with just a few disciples.       Prayer, simply defined, is time spent intentionally with God. We often think of praying with words, which is an important kind of prayer. We might remember the prayer Jesus taught us: "Our Father, who art in heaven..." Early on in life, someone taught me that singing is praying