Fourth Sunday in Lent

Up and at 'em in Champaign in time to preside and preach at the 8am liturgy at the Chapel of St John the Divine. Then back to the Hilton Garden Inn to retrieve Brenda and have a quick by delicious breakfast. Reprised my role at the 10am Mass, this time with six confirmations, two receptions, a solemn procession, and drop-dead gorgeous choral and organ music. During communion, the choir sang a setting of the text from the baptismal liturgy, "We receive you into the household of God ....". I had never heard this text set to music before, and it nearly moved me to tears. After the coffee hour, I met the the vestry for about 20 minutes, imagining together some strategic possibilities for mission-driven use of the chapel's real estate footprint.

We journeyed back to Springfield, had about an hour of downtime to rest, then headed to the Diocesan Center for a two-hour meeting with 10 of our twelve Canterbury pilgrims for June, most of their parents, and our chaperones, for a pre-pilgrimage formation meeting, the first of two. This is going to be a great pilgrimage group, and I'm starting to get really pumped. But for the moment, I am plum worn out, and looking forward to a day off.

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