Dear saints,
When I first traveled to India, a little more than 30 years ago, I met an English linguist who was fascinated with my last name. The linguist was fluent in around nine or so languages, including a very local one called Lepcha. Apparently, my namesake, General G. B. Mainwaring, rather eccentrically claimed back in the late 19th century that Lepcha was the language of Adam and Eve. He asserted that Lepcha was our one, common linguistic ancestor, the tongue we all might trace a line back to if we wished to find our first common ground for communication.
Finding common ground for communication feels like an almost impossible task when it comes to the Middle East, particularly with the terrible bloodshed we have seen there over the past several months. Perhaps the only authoritative place people can speak from is their very own, their particular social location. This year's Holy Week Speaker Series attempts to draw from that authority as we are invited to contemplate what it means to be people of faith in a time of heartbreak. If the Easter story draws us to that part of the world, then our faith asks us to find a faithful response to what we see there.
For three lunchtimes, starting at noon this Monday, I will be in dialogue with a guest who brings their own perspective on the crisis and on the role of faith. Each has personal stories that interweave with the narratives any of us might see on our screens or in the newspaper. It promises to be a time of deep listening and I hope a time of profound learning. I welcome you to join us. Details can be found below.
Of course, the three lunchtimes of our Holy Week speaker series are followed by the great three days that lead us to Easter Day. You'll find all you need to know about our services below. Whether you are here for Easter or traveling, whether you intend to worship in person or online, I pray that each of us might find the sacred in the story, a small shaft of light for a world in need of hope. Hope is our language. It is the sound of a human life speaking of the God who will love us no matter how far we stray from the path of justice and peace. May we all hear that voice speaking in us this Holy Week, and as we do, let us pray for peace for all the peoples of the Earth.
Peace,
