I received a letter this week from my colleague and friend Rabbi Allison Bergman Vann that began, "George Floyd’s death has proven to be a breaking point. We are in anguish. We are furious. We are “here again”—crying out again against racism, condemning the systems and people who have continued to allow-quietly and loudly—bigotry and hate to perpetuate." As college ministers and leaders, we carry not only our own pain and anger, but also the anger, confusion, frustration, questions and fear of a whole generation of students. This week will begin a UKirk network series on dismantling systemic racism. We will begin by sharing our own questions and pain, and with a service for lament. To register and receive the zoom link and share prayers of lament, petition or action, go to bio to click on link. ...

#blackouttuesday ...

[email protected]:30 PM EDT. (Note new time!) Bring your questions and ideas. Go to the UKirk Leaders FB page for Zoom link or email Ukirk national @gmail.com ...

•Station #14 - Mary, Mary, and Salome set out in the morning•

Read Mark 16:1-3.
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These three women don’t know Jesus is risen. All they know is that someone needs to take care of their loved one’s body. Raw with grief and worried that they won’t even be able to get to him, in the quiet of the morning, they gather their supplies and set out toward the tomb.
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“It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.” “Praying.” Thirst: Poems by Mary Oliver (Beacon Press, Boston: 2006). ...

•Station #13 - Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus•

Read Mark 15:42-47.
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Rituals are part of doing life together, and especially of doing faith together. The act of burying Jesus would’ve been an important way for his followers to honor the leader they had just lost.
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In these socially-distanced days, a lot of our rituals don’t look like they used to. Our worship services, our social gatherings, our classes and meetings and ways of marking special occasions, have all been turned upside down.
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Joseph of Arimathea’s position in society meant he could approach Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. His resources meant he had a tomb in which Jesus could be laid to rest.
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What gifts of your own might you use to mark important moments in this season? ...

Students and colleagues, we are praying for you today. https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/9040b4fadaa22a0f85-holy/86805643 ...

Join us tonight for our Good Friday service via Facebook Live on the UKirk page. Thank you to the college student leaders Katie Lee, Emily Hinshaw, Huyn Suk Choi, Emily Madsen, David Angulo, Alyah Yarden, and Sewon Oh, and to college ministers Rachel Hebert, Terilyn V. Lawson and Michael Sanchez ...

•Station #12 - Jesus dies•

Read John 19:28-30.
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Here we are. Sitting in the dark after Jesus has been put to death. Imagine a just-snuffed candle, the charred smell of a smoking wick lingering in a darkened sanctuary or a lamp-lit living room. Some churches remember Jesus’s crucifixion through a tenebrae worship service, which includes extinguishing a candle after each Scripture reading. As wisps of smoke curl up from the last candle you can almost hear, almost feel, the heavy exhale of Jesus’s last breath.
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Barbara Johnson once said, “we are Easter people living in a Good Friday world.” So here we are. Sitting in the dark, waiting for Easter. Still, the candle’s wick is glowing. Just barely, but when it comes to rebuilding a campfire from embers, that that’s all you need.

𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘺 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘞𝘦𝘩𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘨 (2016). ...