The Great Fifty Days of Easter, which last until Pentecost Sunday, are a time when we, through scripture, prayer, and music, honor and live into all of the themes of the miracle of the Resurrection and the Risen Lord Christ. God’s creation of new life, God making a way out of no way – a tomb full of death transforms through miracle into an empty tomb filled with light, spilling new life out into creation. It’s a time to rejoice, to look for Jesus when he appears right beside us – through the breaking of the bread, through paying attention, through remembering that he calls us to feed the hungry, visit those in prison, clothe the poor, stand with those on the margins of society, seeking justice and working against violence. The Easter season offers us a chance to once again practice spiritual disciplines of prayer, compassion, courage, and grace, among so many others.

In this time of recognizing new life – not just in the surprises of spring but in the sure and certain knowledge that out of every death God creates new life – it feels hard to say goodbye, even though it’s just a temporary goodbye, to our decades-long held Monday healing service. There have been times in the past when the healing service had to be put on pause – during the Covid pandemic, of course, but other times in the past when there was not a consistent clergy presence during the last clergy transition, bad weather, and illness. At this point, due to the disruptions on our streets and sidewalks because of the Mayo Bold. Forward. Unbound. project, the rector and vestry have determined that we should again put a “pause” on this service. The changes in parking locations and accessibility are causing barriers for Mayo patients and families to find this service. So, for a few months, as leadership discerns, plans, and works on ways to reach our neighbors to tell the story of Calvary, we will put the healing service on hiatus. It will return. That is a promise.

And, in the faith of the promise of new life from God and through Christ, letting this service pause for a while might well release energy and life in ways we cannot now know. The vestry is joining with our building visioning team, and at their May retreat will be forming a new team at Calvary whose mission will be to discern our mission and work in the next phase of life, as Mayo builds all around us and as we are called by the Holy Spirit into serving our neighbors, both those who live here and those who visit here, in new ways.

Please always include Calvary’s work in your prayers – our work now and for guidance into our work in the future, so that we may always listen for the Spirit’s call, practice “thinking big” and discerning how our core values of worship, music, and hospitality will blossom even more in the months and years to come.

Please be in touch with vestry members and/or me with thoughts and ideas and feedback.

In the faith of our risen Lord Christ,