There comes a moment — usually midweek — when one approaches the recycling bin with a certain degree of optimism.

“It will fit,” you say.

It will not.

The box resists.
The lid hovers.
Physics enters the conversation with a firmness that borders on theological certainty.

And so begins the sacred ritual of rearranging.

Things are shifted.
Flattened with determination.
Reconsidered from new and creative angles.

At one point, you are quite certain that if the Church ever requires a new spiritual gift, it will be listed as “Advanced Recycling Compression.”

Now, at first glance, this may not appear to be a particularly Easter-themed activity.

It lacks the grandeur of the empty tomb.
There are no angels involved.
And no one has yet written a hymn titled “Thine Be the Glory… Over the Cardboard Box.”

And yet…

There is something quietly profound happening here.

Because Easter is, among other things, a story about what is no longer needed.

The grave clothes — left behind.
The stone — rolled away.
Death itself — no longer holding its former power.

Resurrection is not only about new life.

It is about letting go of what cannot contain it.

Which brings us, quite naturally, back to the recycling bin.

Because much of life involves precisely this work.

Sorting.
Releasing.
Letting go of what has served its purpose but cannot be carried forward.

Old assumptions.
Worn-out worries.
The unnecessary packaging we wrap around ourselves to appear more put-together than we feel.

All of it, gently but persistently, being set aside.

Now, this is not always easy.

There are things we hold onto with surprising determination.

Not because they are helpful…

…but because they are familiar.

And yet Easter whispers a different possibility:

That there is life beyond what we have been carrying.

That there is freedom in release.

That the God who raised Jesus from the dead is already at work, making all things new—including us.

Which means that even this small, slightly comedic moment — standing beside an overambitious recycling bin — can become a kind of parable.

A reminder that we are not meant to hold onto everything.

That part of resurrection life is learning what to keep…

…and what to let go.

So go ahead.

Flatten the box.
Make room.
Release what no longer serves.

And if, in the process, the lid still refuses to close with perfect dignity, take heart.

Because grace, like resurrection, is not particularly concerned with appearances.

Christ is risen.

And He is already making space for new life.

Alleluia.

Companion Prayer

Risen Lord,
You call us into new life
and into freedom we did not expect.

Give us courage to let go
of what we no longer need,
and wisdom to trust your work within us.

In the small acts of our days,
teach us the grace of release
and the joy of beginning again.

And fill us with the hope of your resurrection,
that we may live lightly and love deeply.

Amen.

There is a particular kind of holiness reserved for those who arrive just a little too early.

You know the moment.

The meeting is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
You arrive at 6:47, feeling commendably organized and perhaps even faintly virtuous.

The door is locked.

The lights are off.

And you stand there — coat still on, keys in hand — wondering if you have misunderstood something fundamental about time itself.

Now, there are several possible responses to this situation.

One may check the time repeatedly, as though the watch might admit to a mistake.
One may walk a small, thoughtful circle around the building.
One may attempt the door again, just in case it has reconsidered.

Or — and this is where things become interesting — one may simply wait.

Which, as it turns out, is not something we are especially skilled at.

We are, generally speaking, a people of action.

We prefer doors that open promptly.
Schedules that run efficiently.
Events that begin precisely when they are meant to.

Waiting, by contrast, feels like wasted time.

And yet…

Easter is full of waiting.

The disciples wait behind locked doors.
The travellers to Emmaus walk for hours before they recognize who is with them.
The fishermen cast their nets again and again before the dawn reveals what has been there all along.

Resurrection does not always announce itself immediately.

Sometimes it arrives quietly, gradually, almost unnoticed — until suddenly, we see.

Which means that even this small moment — standing outside a locked door, slightly ahead of schedule — is not empty.

It is a space.

A pause.

An invitation.

Now, I will admit that this is not the most obvious conclusion to reach while standing in a parking lot in the Canadian evening, wondering if one should have brought a heavier coat.

But Easter has a way of transforming even these moments.

Because the risen Christ is not only present when the doors open.

He is present while we wait.

In the stillness.
In the quiet.
In the unplanned space where nothing much seems to be happening — and yet everything is already held in grace.

And then, of course, the door opens.

Lights come on.
People arrive.
Life resumes its familiar rhythm.

But something has shifted.

Because we have been reminded — gently, quietly — that not every moment needs to be filled to be full.

Some moments are simply meant to be received.

So the next time you find yourself arriving a little too early —
standing at the threshold, waiting for things to begin —

Do not be too quick to dismiss it.

Take a breath.

Look around.

Listen.

Because Christ is risen.

And He is already present…

Even before the door opens.

Alleluia.

Companion Prayer

Risen Lord,
You meet us in the waiting
as surely as in the doing.

In the quiet moments of our day,
teach us to be still,
to be present,
and to trust that you are near.

When we are eager to move ahead,
give us patience.
When we feel uncertain,
give us peace.

And in every pause and every beginning,
remind us that your resurrection
fills all things with life.

Amen.

There is a particular moment, usually late in the afternoon, when one looks at the day’s to-do list… and realizes that it has not so much been completed as creatively reinterpreted.

Several things have been accomplished.
A few unexpected things have been added.
And at least one item — often written with great optimism in the morning — remains quietly untouched, staring back with gentle but undeniable judgment.

It is at this moment that one is tempted to sigh.

Or, if one is feeling especially theological, to reflect on the limits of human capacity.

Now, the to-do list does not immediately strike us as a place where Easter joy naturally resides.

It is, after all, a record of what remains undone.

And yet…

Easter has never been about what we manage to complete.

It is about what Christ has already finished.

“It is finished,” he says from the cross.

And then — just when we think the story has reached its conclusion — God begins something entirely new.

Resurrection does not arise out of completed lists and perfectly managed lives.

It breaks into the unfinished.

Into the not-yet.
Into the things we meant to do but did not quite get to.

Which is, if we are honest, most of life.

The disciples themselves were not models of completion.

They misunderstood.
They hesitated.
They scattered at precisely the wrong moment.

And yet the risen Christ comes to them — not with a checklist — but with peace.

“Peace be with you.”

Not “Have you finished everything?”
Not “Have you achieved the necessary level of readiness?”

Just… peace.

Which may be the most liberating word we hear all day.

Because it reminds us that our lives are not measured by what we manage to accomplish.

They are held in what God has already done.

Now, this does not mean that the to-do list disappears.

(If anything, it has a remarkable ability to regenerate overnight.)

But it does mean that we are free to approach it differently.

With less anxiety.
With more grace.
With the quiet confidence that even the unfinished parts of our lives are not beyond God’s reach.

In fact, that is often where God does his best work.

In the margins.
In the interruptions.
In the things we did not plan.

So if, at the end of this day, your list still contains items that remain stubbornly unaccomplished…

Take a breath.

Give thanks for what has been done.
Offer the rest to God.

And remember:

Christ is risen.

And He is not waiting for you to finish everything before He begins something new.

Alleluia.

Companion Prayer

Risen Lord,
You meet us not only in what is complete,
but in all that remains unfinished.

Give us peace in our striving,
grace in our limits,
and trust in your work beyond our efforts.

Help us to rest in what you have done,
and to offer you all that we have not.

And in every part of our day —
finished or unfinished —
fill us with your resurrection life.

Amen.

There are many ways to participate in worship.

Some are quiet and contemplative.
Some are thoughtful and measured.
And then, from time to time, there is that “Amen.”

You know the one.

It arrives with conviction.
It lands with enthusiasm.
It echoes just a little longer than expected.

It is not so much spoken as declared.

Now, depending on your particular liturgical temperament, this may either warm your heart or cause you to glance around ever so slightly.

But I would like to suggest — very gently, and with deep affection — that such moments are nothing less than Easter breaking through.

Because the resurrection is not, at its core, a quiet idea.

It is a joyful interruption.

The earliest witnesses to the resurrection did not respond with polite nods and well-regulated enthusiasm. They ran. They told. They wondered aloud. They struggled to find words big enough to hold what they had seen.

“Christ is risen!”

And somewhere, I suspect, someone said, “Amen!” with a little more volume than strictly necessary.

Which brings us back to that moment in worship.

That slightly overenthusiastic response.

That heartfelt, unfiltered affirmation.

It may not be perfectly timed.
It may not align precisely with the printed order of service.
It may even cause a brief ripple in the carefully cultivated calm of Anglican composure.

But it is alive.

And that, surely, is the point.

Because Easter joy is not always tidy.

It does not always arrive in carefully measured tones.

Sometimes it spills out.

In laughter.
In song.
In a voice that simply cannot keep quiet about what it knows to be true.

Now, this does not mean we should all suddenly begin shouting indiscriminately during the Prayers of the People. (Though I suspect it would make for a memorable Sunday.)

But it does mean this:

That worship is not a performance to be perfected.

It is a life to be lived.

A response to grace.

A gathering of people who have been met by the risen Christ and are, in their own wonderfully varied ways, learning how to say “Yes” to that reality.

And sometimes that “Yes” sounds like a quiet whisper.

And sometimes…

It sounds like an “Amen” that arrives with such conviction that it startles even the person who said it.

So the next time you hear it —
or find yourself tempted to offer one —
do not be too quick to restrain it.

Smile.

Give thanks.

And remember:

The Church is not meant to be silent in the face of resurrection.

Christ is risen.

And somewhere, someone is going to say “Amen” like they mean it.

Alleluia.

Companion Prayer

Risen Lord,
You fill our hearts with joy
that cannot always be contained.

Receive our praise —
whether quiet or exuberant,
measured or overflowing.

Teach us to worship you
with sincerity and gladness,
and to respond to your grace
with all that we are.

And in every word we speak —
especially the simple ones —
let your resurrection life be heard.

Amen.

Every parish has one.

You know the one I mean.

A bulletin board that began its life with noble intentions—order, clarity, perhaps even a touch of aesthetic dignity—and has since become… something else entirely.

Layers upon layers of notices.
Events that have long since passed.
Sign-up sheets curling at the corners.
A poster for a pancake supper that, judging by the date, may now be part of church history.

It is less a bulletin board and more an archaeological dig.

And yet… it tells a story.

Because every piece of paper pinned there represents something that mattered.

A gathering.
A need.
A moment when people came together.

Somewhere in those overlapping announcements is a quiet record of resurrection life at work.

Which is, of course, exactly how Easter tends to operate.

Not always in grand, sweeping gestures (though we do enjoy those).

But in the accumulation of small things.

A conversation after coffee hour.
A casserole quietly delivered.
A meeting that somehow turned into laughter.
A moment when someone felt seen, known, and welcomed.

The early Church didn’t have bulletin boards, but they did have something very much like them.

Acts tells us they “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

In other words, they were constantly gathering, constantly sharing, constantly showing up for one another.

If they had owned a cork board, I suspect it would have been absolutely covered.

Because resurrection life is busy.

Not frantic.
Not anxious.
But alive.

Full of people finding their way into community, again and again.

Now, to the untrained eye, a slightly overfilled bulletin board may look like disorganization.

But to the eye of faith, it looks a great deal like abundance.

Too much happening.
Too many ways to belong.
Too many invitations to grace.

And perhaps that is the point.

Because the risen Christ does not build tidy, minimalist communities where everything fits neatly into place.

He builds living ones.

Communities that grow, stretch, overlap, and occasionally forget to take down last month’s announcement.

Communities where life spills over the edges.

Which means that the next time you pass by that bulletin board — and perhaps feel the gentle urge to straighten it all out — pause for a moment.

Look again.

And give thanks.

For the evidence of life.
For the signs of connection.
For the quiet, persistent work of the resurrection unfolding in ordinary ways.

Because somewhere between the curling edges and the overlapping notices…

The Church is alive.

Alleluia.

Companion Prayer

Risen Lord,
You fill our lives with more grace
than we know how to organize.

In the busyness of community,
help us to see your presence.

In the ordinary gatherings of life,
help us to recognize your joy.

Teach us to give thanks
for every small sign of love,
every quiet act of care,
every moment of shared life.

And remind us that your resurrection
is always at work among us—
overflowing, abundant, and alive.

Amen.

There are few spiritual exercises quite as humbling as looking for your keys.

It begins, as these things often do, with confidence.

“They’re right here,” you say.

They are not.

You check the usual place.
Then the very usual place.
Then the place you put them that one time three years ago and have never entirely trusted yourself since.

Still nothing.

At this point, a certain theological shift occurs.

You move from certainty… to petition.

“Lord,” you begin, with growing sincerity, “if you could just guide me…”

Now, I am not suggesting that the Almighty has taken a particular interest in your key placement strategy.

But I am suggesting this:

There is something deeply revealing about the moment when we stop being in control.

Because Easter does not happen in control.

It happens in surprise.

The women go to the tomb expecting one thing… and find another.

The disciples lock the doors… and discover that the risen Christ does not require hinges.

Thomas insists on certainty… and is met with grace.

Again and again, resurrection appears not where people have everything together…

…but precisely where they do not.

Which brings us back, quite naturally, to your keys.

Because in that small moment — standing in the hallway, retracing your steps, gently questioning your life choices — you are living something profoundly human.

You are searching.

And the good news of Easter is this:

While we are busy searching for what we have misplaced…

Christ is already finding us.

Not when we are composed and organized and spiritually impressive.

But when we are distracted.
When we are uncertain.
When we are standing in the middle of the room wondering why we came there in the first place.

Especially then.

Now, in most cases, the keys do eventually appear.

(Though sometimes in locations that raise further theological questions.)

But even before they do, something else has already happened.

We have been reminded — gently, persistently — that our lives are not held together by our perfect awareness.

They are held together by God’s faithful presence.

Which means that even this moment — this slightly exasperating, faintly ridiculous, entirely familiar moment — is not wasted.

It is, in its own way, an encounter.

With our limits.
With our need.
And, if we are paying attention…

With grace.

So the next time you find yourself searching —
for keys, for clarity, for direction, or for the thing you were absolutely certain you had just a moment ago —

Take a breath.

Smile, if you can.

And remember:

Christ is risen.

And He has already found you.

Alleluia.

Companion Prayer

Risen Lord,
You find us even when we are searching,
and meet us even when we feel scattered.

In our forgetfulness, be our memory.
In our uncertainty, be our guide.
In our searching, be our peace.

Help us to trust that we are never lost to you,
and that your presence holds us steady
in every moment.

And in all the small, ordinary frustrations of life,
remind us of your quiet, faithful grace.

Amen.

There are few things in parish life more quietly revealing than a plant.

Not the grand, carefully arranged Easter lilies that arrive in a blaze of glory and theological confidence.

No, I mean the ordinary plant.

The one that lives in the church office.

Or the parish hall window.

Or, perhaps most precariously of all, the windowsill in the clergy study.

It begins, as all good things do, with great enthusiasm.

“This,” we say, “will be lovely. A sign of life. A small but meaningful touch.”

And for a while, it is.

Watered faithfully.
Admired occasionally.
Moved slightly to catch the light.

And then… parish life happens.

A meeting runs long.
A pastoral visit takes precedence.
Someone rearranges the furniture with admirable conviction but uncertain botanical awareness.

And suddenly the plant enters what might best be described as a season of discernment.

Its leaves droop with quiet honesty.
Its soil is either remarkably dry… or mysteriously overachieving in the area of moisture.

And someone — usually with the best of intentions—waters it again.

Just to be safe.

Now, one might not immediately recognize this as a moment of deep theological significance.

But stay with me.

Because somewhere between neglect and overenthusiasm, something rather familiar emerges.

We begin to see ourselves.

Because the Christian life, like that poor plant, is not always lived in perfect balance.

There are seasons when we feel dry.

When prayer seems quiet.
When energy runs low.
When growth feels slow and uncertain.

And then there are seasons when we attempt to compensate with great enthusiasm.

More effort.
More intention.
Possibly more watering than is strictly necessary.

But Easter speaks into both.

Because resurrection is not dependent on our perfect tending.

It is rooted in God’s persistent life.

The risen Christ does not wait for us to achieve ideal spiritual conditions.

He meets us in the unevenness.

In the dry spells.
In the overwatered moments.
In the quiet, ongoing work of becoming.

And somehow — by grace — life continues.

New leaves appear.

Strength returns.

Growth resumes, often in ways we did not plan and could not have managed on our own.

Which may be the most comforting truth of all:

That the life of faith is not sustained by our perfection…

…but by God’s faithfulness.

So if today you find yourself flourishing, give thanks.

If you find yourself a little dry, be gentle.

And if, like that poor plant, you suspect you may have been slightly overwatered by the circumstances of life…

take heart.

The God of resurrection specializes in bringing life out of precisely such conditions.

Alleluia.

Companion Prayer

Risen Lord,
You are the source of all life,
steady and faithful through every season.

When we feel dry, refresh us.
When we feel overwhelmed, steady us.
When we grow, guide us.

Help us to trust your work within us,
even when we do not see it clearly.

Give us patience in the process,
grace in the waiting,
and joy in the growing.

And remind us always
that our life is rooted in you.

Amen.

There are moments in life that no one plans.

They arrive quietly.
Unexpectedly.
And usually at precisely the wrong time.

I am thinking in particular of that moment in conversation when something is said… and then there is a pause.

Not a comfortable pause.

Not the sort of pause one associates with deep reflection or profound wisdom.

No, this is the slightly awkward pause.

The one where everyone briefly studies their coffee.
Or adjusts their papers.
Or suddenly develops a keen interest in the nearest ceiling tile.

Now, one might not immediately suspect that such moments have anything to do with resurrection.

And yet…

Easter has a curious way of appearing precisely in these in-between spaces.

Because the resurrection itself is, in many ways, God’s great interruption.

The disciples were expecting one story.

God was already writing another.

And in between those two realities — between expectation and revelation — there is always a pause.

A moment where things feel uncertain.
Unfinished.
A little unclear.

Rather like that conversation you were just having.

But here is the quiet grace of it:

The risen Christ does not avoid these moments.

He steps directly into them.

On the road to Emmaus — walking beside confused disciples.
In the upper room — standing among fearful friends.
On the shoreline — meeting those who had gone back to their nets because they did not quite know what else to do.

In every case, there is that same holy pattern:

Confusion.
Pause.
Presence.

And then — recognition.

Which suggests that perhaps we have been misjudging these awkward pauses.

Perhaps they are not interruptions to life.

Perhaps they are invitations.

Invitations to listen a little more closely.
To respond a little more gently.
To allow grace a little more room to speak.

Now, I will admit that this is not always easy.

There are moments when one would very much prefer to fill the silence quickly and move on with dignity intact.

But Easter joy is not in a hurry.

It lingers.

It waits.

It trusts that even in the quiet, something holy is unfolding.

And so the next time you find yourself in one of those moments —
mid-conversation, mid-thought, mid-sentence even —
when the words run out and the silence settles in…

Do not rush past it too quickly.

Take a breath.

Stay for a moment.

Because it may just be that Christ is already there.

In the pause.
In the stillness.
In the space where something new is about to begin.

Alleluia.

Companion Prayer

Risen Lord,
You meet us in the spaces between words,
in the pauses we do not plan,
and in the moments we do not understand.

Teach us to be still enough to notice you,
patient enough to listen,
and open enough to receive your grace.

Fill our silences with your presence,
our uncertainty with your peace,
and our lives with your resurrection joy.

And in every moment — spoken or unspoken —
draw us closer to you.

Amen.

There are moments in life — usually around mid-morning on a Tuesday — when one opens one’s inbox with a spirit of quiet optimism…

…and is immediately reminded that optimism is a theological virtue.

Because there it is.

Emails.

So many emails.

Some are important.
Some are urgent.
Some are marked “just a quick note,” which is, in ecclesiastical translation, an invitation to a conversation of considerable length and spiritual depth.

And then there are the ones you are quite certain you have already answered.

Twice.

Now, at first glance, the inbox does not appear to be a particularly promising location for Easter joy.

It lacks the poetry of an empty tomb.
It offers very little in the way of liturgical symbolism.
And it has never, to my knowledge, inspired a hymn.

And yet…

Even here.

Especially here.

Because Easter is not confined to the sanctuary.

It does not politely remain in the Gospel reading or linger only in the echo of Sunday’s Alleluias.

It follows us.

Into the parish office.
Into the rhythms of ministry.
Into the slightly overfull inbox that greets us with such enthusiasm.

The risen Christ, it seems, is entirely untroubled by the ordinary.

In fact, He appears to prefer it.

Which means that even here — in the reading, the replying, the sorting, and the occasional gentle sigh — grace is already at work.

Now, this does not mean that every email will suddenly become brief, clear, and perfectly timed.

Let us not expect miracles of that magnitude.

But it does mean that how we inhabit these moments matters.

Because resurrection life is not about escaping the ordinary.

It is about transforming it.

A thoughtful reply becomes an act of care.
A timely response becomes an act of service.
A moment of patience becomes an act of love.

And occasionally, choosing not to reply immediately becomes an act of wisdom—which is, in itself, a spiritual discipline of no small significance.

The point is this:

Nothing is too small for resurrection.

Not the grand gestures.
Not the quiet ones.
Not even the email that arrives just as you were about to stand up and stretch.

Christ is alive.

And He is already present in the work before you.

Which means that this Tuesday is not merely something to be managed.

It is something to be lived.

With grace.
With patience.
With just enough humour to carry you through.

And perhaps — if all goes well — with an inbox that is, if not empty, at least slightly less ambitious than it was when you began.

Alleluia.

Companion Prayer

Risen Lord,
You meet us in the midst of our work
and in the many small demands of our day.

Give us patience in the busy moments,
wisdom in our responses,
and grace in our interactions.

Help us to see your presence
even in the ordinary tasks,
and to serve with kindness and care.

And in all we do,
remind us that your resurrection
fills every part of our lives.

Amen.

There are, broadly speaking, two kinds of Monday mornings.

There is the theoretical Monday morning — the one we imagine on Sunday afternoon — where we rise gracefully, greet the day with quiet dignity, and perhaps even say our prayers before the coffee finishes brewing.

And then there is the actual Monday morning.

The alarm goes off.
We negotiate with it.
It goes off again.
We begin to suspect that resurrection life may not, in fact, include immunity from early rising.

And yet…

Here we are.

Alive.
Awake (eventually).
And, whether we feel like it or not, standing once again in the bright, slightly insistent light of Easter.

Because Easter does not politely avoid Mondays.

It shows up right in the middle of them.

Now, this is not always obvious.

There is very little about a Monday morning that immediately suggests triumph over death. The inbox has not been rolled away. The schedule remains firmly in place. The list of things to do has multiplied quietly overnight, like loaves and fishes in reverse.

But Easter joy has never depended on ideal conditions.

It depends on a risen Christ.

And the remarkable thing about the risen Christ is this:

He does not wait for us to feel ready.

He meets us as we are.

In the half-awake prayer.
In the slightly hurried breakfast.
In the drive, the walk, the first conversation of the day.

In the pastoral visit that unfolds gently.
In the unexpected interruption that turns out to be holy.
In the moment when someone needs a word of kindness — and we discover, to our surprise, that we have one to give.

Resurrection life is not reserved for grand occasions.

It is woven into the fabric of ordinary days.

Even Mondays.

Especially Mondays.

Which means that this morning — this ordinary, slightly reluctant, coffee-assisted beginning— is already full of grace.

Christ is alive.

And He is not standing at a distance, waiting for us to catch up.

He is already here.

In the day ahead.
In the work before us.
In the people we will meet.

Even in the alarm clock that, quite unintentionally, has summoned us into another day of resurrection life.

So take a breath.

Take another sip of coffee.

And step into this day not as a burden to be endured, but as a gift to be received.

Because Christ is risen.

And Monday morning has never quite known what to do with that.

Alleluia.

Companion Prayer

Risen Lord,
You meet us at the start of each new day,
even when we arrive a little slowly.

Be present in our waking,
our working,
and our walking through this day.

Fill our ordinary moments with your grace,
our conversations with your kindness,
and our tasks with your purpose.

Give us joy that does not depend on circumstance,
and hope that carries us forward.

And remind us always
that every morning is touched
by your resurrection.

Amen.