The world does not need words.
It articulates itself in sunlight, leaves, and shadows.
The stones on the path are no less real
for lying uncatalogued and uncounted.

The fluent leaves speak only the dialect of pure being.
The kiss is still fully itself though no words were spoken.

And one word transforms it into something less or other—
illicit, chaste, perfunctory, conjugal, covert.
Even calling it a kiss betrays the fluster of hands
glancing the skin or gripping a shoulder, the slow
arching of neck or knee, the silent touching of tongues.

Yet the stones remain less real to those who cannot
name them, or read the mute syllables graven in silica.
To see a red stone is less than seeing it as jasper—
metamorphic quartz, cousin to the flint the Kiowa
carved as arrowheads. To name is to know and remember.

The sunlight needs no praise piercing the rainclouds,
painting the rocks and leaves with light, then dissolving
each lucent droplet back into the clouds that engendered it.
The daylight needs no praise, and so we praise it always—
greater than ourselves and all the airy words we summon.

“Words” by Dana Gioia from Interrogations at Noon. © Graywolf Press, 2001.

Thanks to Karl Pfeiffer for this contribution from Garrison Keillor’s
Writer’s Almanac http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/

Sunday – April 6:

• Inequality -“What to do about the wolf at the door”, Ron Elsdon presents Part IV of this series and the Forum.
• Seminarian Brock Klobe preaches.
• Our Easter Choir rehearses after worship!
• Our Church Council shares a Retreat in the afternoon.
• The Jazz Church West hosts Inga Swearingen, Anton Schwartz and Dan Feizli.

Spring: Hymn Sing and Video Fling!  This Organ Concert/Fundraiser to pay off our new speakers will happen on Friday, April 11 at 7:30 pm.  You will delight in the variety of music and videos that our Minister of Music Gary Sponholtz will present.  You are invited to bring friends with you for this festive occasion.  A reception will follow.

First Friday Film/April 4 at 6:30 pm: Saving Mr. Banks – the making of the Disney classic Mary Poppins.  Finest popcorn will be served and most delightful audience in the world! Join us for a great time!

This past Tuesday Seminarian Brock Klobe and I spent a Conference Day with the other Supervisors and Interns in the Bay and Sacramento areas along with the Contextual Education Director from PLTS Seminary.  Inquire of Brock about the experience.

On April 13 Brock and those who have been participating in the worship at the Dublin Prison will lead a Forum on “Sustaining the Peace/Prison Ministry”.  How do we nurture this ministry after Brock’s Internship concludes?  What are the realities of the prison context that Brock knows and we need to know?  Please join in this important time of reflection so we all understand (whether you participate or not) the dynamics of this important ministry.

Please keep in your prayers:  Joan Squire, Ari, Annie, Kathy Hepner on the death of her mother, those receiving healing prayer, Veronique, Parisa’s parents who are ill, Rich Storelee on the death of his mother, and James whose mother has died, those seeking employment, and the children of Peace and our world.

Lemon Pledge Saturday, April 12 from 4 – 5:30 pm:  Finally the Spring Clean Up Day you have longed for is here!  It will take us only an hour and a half to get everything in order for Holy Week!  And absolutely no habitual negative thinking will be allowed!  Join in with your own can of Lemon Pledge or the cleaner of your choice. Make it a personal experience!

Holy Week Schedule:

• Palm Sunday – Worship at 9:30 am
• Maundy Thursday, April 17 – Worship at 7:30 pm (no Seder this year)
• Good Friday, April 18 – Worship at 7:30 pm
• Easter Vigil, April 19 – Worship at 7:30 pm
• EASTER, April 20 – Worship at 10:00 am!  (note special time)

Lenten Blessings,  Pr. Steve