A Very HOPE - FULL Easter!

This past week, beginning on Palm Sunday, I have had such a longing for a really special Holy Week.

I did a lot of reminiscing about my years in the choir at our church, Calvary Community, in Westlake Village, CA, remembering all the long, exhausting hours of rehearsal, working out choreography steps, experiencing the exhiliration of singing before a few thousand people over several church services, while managing life, a job, and family. We always did a fabulous music and drama production on Palm Sunday. For our church it began Passion Week. We followed that with a silent Good Friday communion service and a truly celebratory Easter service. During the week, I always read the various accounts as told in the Gospels of this week in Jerusalem. This year I have really struggled. I didn't get my Bible reading in until Saturday. Palm Sunday was "just another Sunday", and I wanted so much more for Easter. Rich was on schedule to play the piano at church but due to his continuing lack of energy he determined he really wasn't up for the rigors of rehearsal and the three services. I suggested that we go to Brett's church, Hope Mennonite, in Wichita. I thought it would be really special to celebrate with him and Esther at this, their first Easter as Pastor.

Wow! What a marvelous service it was!

The service began where they left off on Maundy Thursday, celebrating the Last Supper and marking Christ's crucifixion. The service began as a "Gathering in the darkness". The lights in the sanctuary were dimmed, except for the light on the cross, which was draped in a white cloth. As the congregants entered they were reverant. No talking or walking about! It marked the solemnity of the events. Amazing! We were immediately "taken in". The piano played a prelude, an African drum beat like a heartbeat broke the silence, scripture was read from Matthew 27: 57-61, and then from the back of the sanctuary came this luxurious baritone voice which led the congregation in four verses of the spiritual, "Were You There?" Each verse built upon the other, with voices in harmony increasing on each verse. Another scripture reading from Matthew 28:1-10 and then the final verse of of "Were you There?", "Were you there when he rose up from the grave?" It was glorious! This is a church that loves to sing and to sing well. Mind you, this singing was all a capella - no instruments. More music, another spiritual by the choir, "Ain't no Grave Can Hold my Body Down", responsive readings, traditional Easter hymns, a children's teaching, more scripture reading, and then Brett's message, "With Fear and Great Joy". To say our hearts were over-flowing is quite an understatement. God's Word was preached without apology yet with love and passion. The last song was, "You Shall Go Out With Joy", a song which we sang years ago at Calvary, and what a joy it was to sing it again! The service ended with a "Celebrating the Feast", with banquet tables at the front of the church laden with tiers and platters of fruit and Easter breads and floral arrangements. The "Hopeful Blues", a quintet of Hope musicians played "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" and other marvelous songs. What a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It was lovely to see people we've met on other occasions and to meet other members of the congregation. Everyone we met was so affiriming of God's call on Brett to be their Pastor. There's such a depth and excitement among the people. We were BLESSED!

My longing for "something more" was met in ways I couldn't imagine!

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

We came home and Rich napped all afternoon, while I prepared our Easter dinner for Brett, Esther, and girls. Rich has been on a low iodine diet since the middle of March, which basically means no milk, diary, eggs, commerical baked goods (so I am making bread!), no prepared foods, iodized or sea salt, fish, salted nuts, and more I've been asked what I prepared for our Easter Celebration. It was: herb crusted pork loin tenderloin, a hot potato salad, a corn salad, a bowl of cut veggies, with applesauce cake and chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert. It was a hit. I'll share a couple of recipes. Sorry no photos, I was just concentraing on getting dinner on the table for a hungry family! :)

Chocolate Applesauce Cake

1/2 cup canola oil

1 egg white

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups applesauce

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

dash of ground cloves

4 tablesppons cocoa

Mix above together in a large bowl.
In a small bowl mix:

2 cups flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Then fold in 1 cup of finely diced apple.

Pour into tube pan sprayed with non-stick spray and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until pick is clean.

Cool 15 minutes in pan and then turn out on cooling rack. Make a simple powder sugar glaze for top. This is a very moist cake. I baked it in a Bundt cake and the girls called it a "donut cake". It looked just like a very huge chocolate buttermilk donut we used to get at Judy's Donuts in Newbury Park. I didn't tell them what kind of a cake it was but Isabel "nailed it". With her first bite she said, "this tastes like apple pie!" Pretty discrimating palate for a 5 year old.

Corn Salad

16 ounces frozen white corn - thawed (I couldn't find white, so used the yellow/white corn mix)

1 whole roasted red pepper (I used one from a jar, rinsed it off really well to get rid of salt for Rich)

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1 cup diced red onion

2 stalks diced celery

1/2 cup sugar (I think I'll cut this to 1/4 cup, maybe 1/3)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup vinegar (I used half white wine, half of red win vinegar)

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Combine corn, peppers, onion and celery in a large bowl. Combine sugar, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Pour over vegetables. Toss all together and chill for at leat 2 hours before serving. Serves 6.

These recipes came from the ThyCa, Thyroid Cancer Cookbook at http://www.thyca.org/. A great resource!

Now we are truly enjoying this beautiful Spring!