Baking and Lazarus Saturday

Prophora for Lazarus Saturday

Making Lazarakia

Lazarus Garden with plants dug from the yard

The Pace Quickens.....

......laundry is caught up

.....clothing has been swapped for warmer days

.....dresses are laid out

.....house is clean, hopefully hearts are as well

.....Easter baskets are prepared

.....plastic eggs are filled with chocolate treats

.....refrigerator is bursting

.....cherries are soaking

.....full egg cartons are stacked 5 dozen high, enough for the whole church

.....months worth of onion skins are ready

.....garden plants are patiently waiting

.....wheat berries are cooking

.....hearts are filling

.....cares of the world marked off the calendar

.....excitement is growing

Lazarakia is rising.........the marathon is once again reaching the finish line.........

.......Mile 22 begins tonight!

Six Things to Remember for Lent

Last year in the first weeks of Lent, our priest offered a homily with 6 guidelines for Lent and for life.  I still have the bulletin with my scrawled notes, (which I happened to come across in the many stacks of papers I have been digging myself out from underneath), so I thought I would share his words from last year as a good beginning for this Lent.  This are just bullet points, daily reminders to help us walk through the days of this journey with the goal of coming closer to the fullness of God.  So, what can you do this Lent?

1. Show up.  It is not just "going to church."  We are changed through the liturgical life and Eucharist. During Lent we are offered some of the most beautiful services of the year, don't turn down the opportunity to be present.

2. Contribute something.  Invest in something within the life of the church.  Believe in it.  Make it a part of your life.  Bring something to God.

3. Be nice.  Be kind, courteous to one another.  Everyone is created in the image of God, let the love of God show through you.

4. Get over yourself!  Everything is not about you.  Die to yourself.  Stop thinking in terms of how does this affect me.

5.  Pray.  Go into your closet and pray.

6. Be thankful.  Every breath, heartbeat, moment is a gift from God, thank Him continually.

Revisiting the Pascha Learning Boxes

I originally posted these last year, but have made a few additions to the boxes, as well as taken some better photos!  So, here is another look at my learning boxes for Holy Week.  I will mention again, that this is an involved project.  When I first had the idea several years ago, it was Lazarus Saturday and I jumped into action planning how I would create them.  My wise husband cautioned against it, saying that rather than a blessing, it would be a consuming project for Holy Week, distracting me from what I should be doing.  So, I followed his advice, and waited until after Pascha to begin making them.  I say this again to caution you - if this is an idea you want to replicate, do it slowly.  Do not attempt to pull it together quickly, you will find yourself frustrated and it will not be a joyful project.  The wonderful thing about the church rythms is that we can look to next year.

Finally, a word about the use of the boxes.  In my home, we have used them in several ways.  The first is actually taking them to church on each day of Holy Week.  If you have a young child, the items in the box offer a focus.  I usually tell my littlest ones to listen through the service, especially at the readings, and see if they can hear mention of each item in the box.  The joy on the face of my 4 year old when she heard the parable of the grape vine as she sat holding those plastic grapes was priceless. Some pieces are more interactive.  One year I watched as several children in our church sat and carefully lined the palm branches and fabric in the shape of the cross.  The icon was placed at the top, and the donkey was walked along the path, over and over again.  For a young child, that is prayer.  That is meditating on the scripture.  That is learning.  The boxes may also be used at home.  You may wish to read the scripture ahead and present the items.  If you are concerned with small pieces being all over the place, take a small placemat to church and roll it out on the floor.  Explain that this is the space to work with the box, and the items are to stay on the mat until they are returned to the box.  Then watch, and be prepared to have visitors in your aisle as curious children around you are drawn to see what is going on!

Box 1

This box is for Palm Sunday, but could be used on Lazarus Saturday as well. It contains a strip of linen fabric to represent the raising of Lazarus, a donkey (from the crocodile hunter's stash), palm branches (a piece of artificial greenery I found at H*bby L*bby, just pull off the individual fronds off), palm crosses from past Palm Sundays, and icons of Mary and Martha, the Raising of Lazarus, and the Entrance into Jerusalem.  The prayer card is a small wooden plaque from the craft store painted purple.  I printed the script off my computer and attached it with mod p*dge.  A second coat of mod p*dge and some pearl 3-d paint finished it off.  

Box 2

This box is for Sunday evening Bridegroom Matins and Monday morning services. The focus of these services is humility, with Joseph as the Old Testament type of Christ, suffering in humility before saving his people. The grapes (from a craft store) and figs are references to the parables told during these services.  I purchased the figs online, but they are no longer available from that vendor.  Let me know if anyone finds another source for them, but you could model them from sc*lpey clay.

Box 3

This box pertains to Bridegroom Matins on Monday evening and Tuesday mornings gospel readings. The theme of readiness for the final judgement runs through these readings and the parables of the 10 talents and the 10 virgins are told. The sheep and goats (from the crocodile hunter's stash) are a reference to the scripture in which the people will be divided at judgement. The coin recalls the story of the Pharisees' attempt to trick Christ - render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. The lamps and oil are from this site, but are rather expensive.  They are made from sc*lpey clay and would be easy to replicate with a bit of time.  Icons include the Prophet Moses and the icon of the Last Judgement.

Box 4

This box covers Tuesday evening through Wednesday evening, with an emphasis on healing. The scriptures read during these days recalls the parable of the good Samaritan, and references to Christ healing the sick. The pitcher, basin (doll house items) and vial of oil remind us of the harlot washing Christ's feet, and also His rebuke to the disciples that He came to save those who are sinful. The bag contains 30 pieces of silver, as Wednesday is also the day Judas is paid for his betrayal of Christ. Finally, the oil also calls to mind the Service of Holy Unction which is commonly held on Wednesday of Holy Week.  Please note, the coins are not a good item to take to church!  They make far too much noise, so I only use them at home, and for church place 3 coins in the bag to represent the 30 pieces.

Box 5

This box is for the Mystical Supper, and contains a chalice, bread, an icon of the last supper and figures of Christ and disciples. 

Box 6

This box covers the services of Thursday and Friday, from the Passion Gospel service to Royal Hours on Friday. It contains a small plastic sword which Peter drew to defend Christ in the garden, a rooster as a reminder of Peter's betrayal hours later, a crown of thorns (miniature wreath from H*bby L*bby), a vial of vinegar as offered to Christ on the cross, a strip of leather to remind of the beating he received, a die as they cast lots for his clothing, and a small wooden skewer to represent the spear that pierced His side

Box 7

The final box is for Saturday, and contains a strip of linen to represent Christ's burial, vials of frankincense and myrrh which the women took to the tomb to prepare his body, a stone, icons of the resurrection and the risen Christ figure.  The prayer card was made in the same way as described above.  Another nice item to include in this box would be flower petals gathered from the Lamentations service the evening before.

A great addition to the boxes are the Great Lent and Holy Week Coloring books from Potamitis Publishing, and for older children, the Holy Week and Pascha book is wonderful.

Download list of items for each box

NOTE:
Some of the items in the boxes are not appropriate for younger children, and I am sure there are many other items that could be included, and ways to personalize this project.  Use your own judgement to determine what is safe and best for your children.

Clean Eating

Lent is certainly a season for less, a time for letting go, of cleaning heart, soul and body.  Clean Week ushers in a week of beautiful services, that our heart and soul may begin to prepare the way for the journey to Pascha.  Hearts are light, having been cleansed through the rite of forgiveness, as we let go of the hurt, resentment and anger we hold towards others, and humbly receive forgiveness.  Now the body must also be made light, since "the body which is burdened with meat is afflicted with diseases.  A moderate way of living makes the body healthier and stronger and cuts off the root of evil.  The stream of meat meals darkens the light of the spirit.  One can hardly have virtue if one enjoys meat meals and feasts." (St. Basil the Great.)   So, the kitchen is cleaned and the counters are cleared of clutter.  Sunday evening the girls and I made a trip to the grocery store, filling our cart with fruits, nuts, fresh vegetables and breads.  We will not cook this week.  We will eat simple foods, with simple preparation, that our hearts and minds may be on God, not on cooking or scrubbing of pots.  We will eat less, that we may pray more.  We will consume less that we may turn to God and recognize our dependence upon Him to provide for us.  We will let go of fleshly wants that we may embrace heavenly ones.  And we will give thanks for the bounty of less that is before us, realizing that even our less is so much more than many who live always with less.

All the little details

As Lent races toward me, thoughts tend to turn to the practical.  How can I make sure that this Lent, services are the priority?  How can I make sure that I can be both Mary and Martha, working towards inner calm while still getting the cooking, housecleaning and laundry completed?  Being a planner, I find it helpful to have a plan!  I know the first few years with children, I sort of floated through Lent, missing many services because I had little ones, no family nearby and a husband who was working 100 hours a week and was rarely able to attend with me.  I certainly didn't think much about planning ahead for Lent.  As a result, my focus was often wrong.  I was concentrating on sewing the beautiful dress for my first little girl, frantically stitching on buttons moments before we walked out the door for the Pascal Liturgy, or I was focusing on the end of the fast and all of the food I needed to purchase. 

When my first 2 children reached the ages of 18 months and 3 1/2 years, I was about to give up even being in church for services at all.  I am ever grateful for the kind father of older children who came to me one Lenten service as I was almost in tears.  He always stood near one of the exits, and as I turned in exhaustion to take my restless and noisy toddlers out of the liturgy I shrugged and whispered that I wasn't sure why I even bothered to come.  He hugged me, and took my 3 year old son in his arms and whispered, "because it is worth it."   He encouraged me to slow down, to keep trying, to not give up, and to "pray with my feet" as Mat. Anna says.   I realized that I needed to focus more on just being present, and make the most of that time.   As I had more children, and they now grow older, the struggle changes.  It seems like there is so much to do, as well as so many other activities going on in the spring - piano recitals, soccer games, karate tournaments, the need to swap out clothing for a new season, the pressure to begin thinking about the next school year.  Then, a few years ago, I really began to see how I had been looking at it all wrong.  I was always trying to figure out how to fit the services into our life - working around naps, feedings, work schedules, outside commitments etc.  I finally realized that until I made the church our first priority, there was always going to be a good reason why I couldn't make a service.  No question there are seasons in life when we are more fully able to enter into the life of the church, and others where we spend more time praying with our feet in the narthex or at home,  but often I look back and realize that many times I could have been more present, had my priorities been better organized.  For me, the way to flip that mind set was to become proactive, and schedule life differently.  Now, the first thing I do when I get our schedule of Lenten services is to copy them onto my calendar.  I admit, I am behind the times, I actually still have a giant paper desk calendar which hangs on my refrigerator  and I love it!  I also have a special schedule for Holy Week which I have shared in the past.  That page hangs on my refrigerator as well.  This schedule lists the services for the week, as well as all of those little things which are so easy to forget - flowers on Friday morning to decorate the bier, baskets full of rose petals on Friday night for the girls to spread around the tomb, bread and wine ready for Saturday morning.  Having one place where all of those things are gives me a great deal of peace. 

Another thing I find is that it is terribly easy to lose my temper in that 30 minutes before leaving for a service (it is just me, or is this the time children choose to lose shoes and coats, have a dirty a diaper or temper tantrum?)  How many times I find myself ready to yell at them to get in the car so we can go to church!  One way to help avoid that is a little planning as well.  I may take it to the extreme, but during Lent, I try to separate out the easy, seasonally appropriate church clothing for my kids and streamline their clothing.  They typically wear the same pair of boots (until we can break out the sandals!), and rotate through a handful of dresses throughout the week.  Before Lazarus Saturday arrives, I try to gather all of the kids clothes for Palm Sunday, Holy Friday, Pascha and Agape Vespers.  My dining room table becomes command central for Holy Week, where I gather baskets for egg hunts, clothes, flowers, everything I can to have it easy to find.  Knowing their clothes are all ironed and ready to go means I don't have to think about that during Holy Week.  It also means I am not frantically trying to run a load of laundry because someone doesn't have clean underwear!  Having young children means we always have distractions.  But it doesn't mean these distractions have to consume us.  With a little preparation, it is possible to avoid becoming consumed with the details by planning ahead for them as much as possible, and then, learning to be flexible when it doesn't all go smoothly (ah, if only I could get that lesson internalized).  The details, the material preparations, are important, but are NOT the one thing needful. 

Lenten Survival Bag for Kids

Fasting and Feasting 

Lenten Menu

Lenten Recipes

Holy Week Timeline

Finally, a quote I put up last year, which I think says it all far better than I ever could.

"After the Easter service, the blessing of the eggs, meats , breads, cakes, etc., which are proper to this feast takes place in Orthodox parishes. The custom, in itself, is excellent. It associates the life of the home with the life of the Church. But one cannot protest too much against the deviation which it causes in certain Orthodox countries where many of the faithful are so absorbed with cleaning their houses, the decoration of eggs, the making of cakes, in short, with the material preparations for the feast, that they miss the services. Religion thus becomes an adopted national or familial custom which is no longer animated by the breath of the Spirit."

by a monk of the eastern church - The Year of Grace of the Lord  p.206

Do you have any ideas that help you make Lent and Holy Week a time of peace rather than one of stress and busyness?

Dining with the Duchess

I gaze in awe at the fine china tea cup, trimmed with thin gold, engraved with the initials of her and her beloved; the delicate rim tips slowly, carefully to each ladies' lips, cool liquid pouring down throats, flowing with holy heat.  Her fragrant scent spreads throughout the room, the perfume of royalty now exchanged for the sweet scent of holiness.  Her image, embossed in silver, hangs from my neck, swinging forward as I bow neck to kiss her hand.  She is clothed in royal robes.  Not those handed down from her grandmother, the ornate finery of Queen Victoria; nor are they the court clothes of a member of the Russian Imperial Court.  These are robes of pearl gray cotton, beautiful in their simplicity.  These are the robes of martyrdom.  We sing with her, we pray with her, we serve with her, and we listen.  We listen to what she has to teach us.  Charitable works, patience and love.  Those are her words to each of us.  Which is the most difficult?  To love as Christ loved?  To bear without reproach the little annoyances of the day?  To give of ourselves in helping others?  Can they even be separated?  For without love, there is no patience.  Without love there are no charitable actions.  Without patience and charitable works, there is no love.   She stands before us, a witness to all three.  A woman who had everything, bore the deepest of sorrows, and gave all that she had in mercy and love for Christ and those around her.  In her story, and in her words, there is much to contemplate.  Above all, her actions: she embodied Mary and Martha.  She was a pioneer, creating an Orthodox monastic community like no other, one that united the one thing needful with the service of Martha, caring for each person she came in contact with as an icon of Christ.  She stood firm against those who would protect her, those who would keep her safe within her white walls, those who would deliver her from the terrible red darkness that was washing over her beloved adopted homeland.  As Lent approaches, her example reminds me that I cannot consume myself with the services and prayers of the church, without partnering them with the willingness to serve each time the opportunity is presented, and the love and patience I so rarely find myself capable of having for those around me.

  O Holy Martyr Elizabeth, pray for us.

Concealing the rank of a princess with humility, O divinely-wise Elizabeth, 

thou didst honour Christ with the two-fold service of Martha and Mary.

Having purified thyself with charitable works, patience and love, 

thou wast brought to God as an offering of righteousness. 

As we venerate thy virtuous way of life and thy sufferings,

we earnestly ask thee, as our true teacher: 

O holy martyr and Grand Duchess Elizabeth, 

entreat Christ our God to save our souls.

And so it begins

The marathon of Lent has once again arrived.  One week ago today, the book was laid at the feet of Christ, a signal to all that training now starts in earnest.  We enter the season of preparation, the Triodion has begun!  I am excited, eager with anticipation.  Yes, it is a long hard run, and often does not turn out the way we expect, but it is a journey each year for which my heart and soul seek out.  Last year, I am sure I complained about the the short time between the Nativity and Lent, how quickly we passed from feasting to fasting.  I wanted a longer break, to stretch the time between.  This year, the time has been longer, much longer, and I strain toward the beginning.  While the season between is full of glorious feasts, Theophany, the Presentation of Christ, and the many saints we commemorate, it is also a time when I always feel the need for new focus.  It is the time when I easily begin to feel overwhelmed, and lacking a structure to my life.  In a few short weeks, we will gradually move from our long season of feasting into the long season of fasting.  Deep purple will cloak the altar and priests, and the incense will grow heavy.  We will being the journey, and we will once again watch the signposts along the way, marking each mile.  Over and over again we will lay ourselves at the feet of Christ.  We will attempt to follow the exercises prescribed by the church, in hopes of building our endurance, and we will run the race.  What are those exercises?  How do we shape and mold ourselves that we may more reflect the perfect image, the image of Christ in us?  The Church outlines three tangible things we are called to, the "three-legged stool" of Orthodox living: prayer, fasting and alms.  Prayer is obvious, and hard to avoid in the Lenten service schedule.  Fasting, is always a struggle, but at least I have a plan and a direction to follow, it is something I can get a grasp on.   Then there is almsgiving. Here so often is where my strength fails.  How to give alms?  Each year we receive a little box at the start of Lent.  A place to drop our change, a place to collect the money we save as we restrict the call of the belly.  While it important for each of us to stretch the dollars, to give of our material wealth, it does not express the  fullness of almsgiving. 

Almsgiving is "love for others expressed in practical form, by works of compassion and forgiveness.... the criterion in the coming judgement will not be the strictness of our fasting but the amount of help that we have given to those in need .....  The mere giving of money can often be a substitute and an evasion, a way of protecting ourselves from closer personal involvement with those in distress.  'When thou seest the naked, cover him; and hide not thyself from thine own flesh" (Bp. KALLISTOS Ware, introductory notes to the Lenten Triodion)

How, how do we make sure we don't protect ourselves, hide our hearts and eyes, shelter our children from the hurt around us?  How do we clothe the naked, feed the poor, care for the sick?  Over the years I have seen some beautiful examples of those who have fulfilled this call.  This year, I look for ways our home can indeed give alms.  Most of us cannot pick up and travel to some distant land to care for the neediest.  So how do we serve within our daily lives?  As I have slowly worked my way through our home, attempting to declutter the mess, remove the unnecessary, embrace less and bless others with our excess, many times I have found myself staring into the fabric closet.  The curse of a seamstress, the call of fabric. 

How hard it is to just NOT BUY.  How hard it is to walk away from the newest print.  Bins full to overflowing, piles of laundered pillowcases sit in my fabric closet.  Brightly colored stripes, dainty hand crocheted borders, soft sweet florals, all waiting for some future project; and as I try to decide the balance between what to keep and what to remove, a blessing is sent my way.  This link arrives in my inbox. A home for those beautiful orphaned pillowcases.  Each one is unique, each has its own beauty, and each can bless.  Now I have a plan.

Our goal is one dress a week beginning Meatfare Sunday. The little princess is going to learn to sew, and together we will indeed clothe the poor, and remind ourselves each day of the blessing of a full closet, 3 cooked meals every day, shoes on our feet, wooden floors beneath us and a sturdy metal roof over our heads.  We will lay our time and efforts at the feet of Christ and say thank you.  It is a small gift.  It is a poor offering, but it is a start.

Want to share your ideas for almsgiving? Please leave me a note letting me know what ideas you have.   I would love to hear other ways you may be planning to give of your time and abilities to help others this Lent.  And if you choose to join us in sewing dresses, please leave a link so we can see!

The Marathon

Forty days of Lent. A long fast, filled with services. The initial burst of energy, clean week, as everything is wiped clean for a new beginning.

Then settling into a steady pace, Liturgy, Compline, Presanctified, Akathist. Liturgy, Compline, Presanctified, Akathist. Can't you just hear the pounding of feet to that rhythm, as we each run this annual race.

The runner looks for signs, to mark progress, to mark off the miles, and the church offers us many. The first few miles pass quickly.

The midpoint arrives, and the cross is set before us, a reminder of which direction we should be running, a reminder of why we are running this race.

Exhaustion sets in as we pass weeks 4 and 5. Then we see the Holy Mary of Egypt before us, urging us on, encouraging us by her example. A brief refreshment, as we celebrate the Annunciation, a cool drink for parched throats. Then it is upon us. The final week, the final sprint to the finish line, a fresh burst of energy as the speed of the race picks up - 17 services starting on Lazarus Saturday. The exhaustion, the excitement, the anticipation.

The preparation. "For behold, the bridegroom cometh at midnight, and blessed is the man whom He shall find awake." The bright sadness. The end in sight. Each day, the kids question, "how many more days?"

That we may be accounted worthy to hear the Holy Gospel.

A dark church, morning and evening. The intense burden of the Passion service, reminding each of us that it is we who nailed Him on the tree. As the pounding of the hammer echoes, I flinch. Every year, I wait for it, know it is coming, wonder how heavy the hammer must feel in Father's hands, and I flinch. Because it is I who put Him there. The hot tears fall as we kneel together in the darkness.

"Today He is suspended on a tree who suspended the earth over the waters."

Friday, a day of mourning, preparing the tomb of Christ. "Let the little children come to Me". And they come. They come offering their gifts of flowers, adorning His tomb, the heavy, heady scent of roses and lilies mingle with the incense. "I cried out unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path." His body is brought down from the cross, He is laid in the tomb.

IT IS FINISHED.

Yet, the race is not over. Thankfully, it is not the end. The lilt of the lamentations, grief mixed with joy for what is to come, bright sadness. Tonight in the dark, we offer roses and hymns to Thee.

"In a grave they laid Thee, O my life and my Christ; and the armies of the angels were sore amazed, as they sang the praise of Thy submissive love."

The tomb, never abandoned; all through the night, soft quiet voices intone, praying the Psalms and censing His tomb.

Then the sun rises, and we come together once again. Just as in clean week, we juxtapose the heavy presence of death with the beauty of new life, as two little ones are baptized, and four chrismated into union with us.

"Brethren, all who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

The cloths, for so long dark, purple stain, now shine bright white - for we are almost to the end, or rather the beginning. The dead, shriveled petals of the evening before are covered by showers of fresh scented bay leaves. Sticks pound, death is beaten down. Hades is groaning. " It took a body, and face to face, met God! It took earth and encountered heaven! It took what it saw but crumbled before what it had not seen! "O death, where is thy sting? O hades, where is thy victory?" It is coming. The burden is lighter now, made light by bread and wine, fellowship and flowers, joy and anticipation.

Sleepy children are awakened in the night, carried into church in the dark. All is quiet, all is anticipation. One strong voice sings out, Come, take light, from the light, that is never overtaken by night. The church is slowly lit, as one candle becomes many, as each shares the Light with others. We have arrived. The last stretch is here, and our bodies no longer feel the pain, the exhaustion, only joy at arriving at the finish line - the bells peal, the King of Glory enters, and all is light. And yet, for me, it is a different moment this year. A child falls ill moments before the Paschal candle is lit, and suddenly the race takes a different turn. Sadness fills my heart, as I realize I am not going to be in there. My husband and I alternately care for a sick baby and sneak moments of the liturgy. I feel somehow cheated. It's not fair. That is what I was thinking. How selfish. Apparently this race has not done enough to humble me. I ran the race, I wanted to be at the finish line, to share fully in the glory, the joy, to stand in the winner's circle with the faithful. But, it is not about me. It is not about my experience. Christ is Risen, whether this poor sinner was present or not. I think of the pain others have experienced at this time of year, the losses. Even at this moment my heart is heavy for old friends mourning the loss of a daughter, wife, mother, a new mother who never got to hold her little one, but instead ran her Lenten race for the last time, leaving this earth on Bright Monday. Yet, "Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the tomb!" It does not matter that circumstances prevented me from crossing the finish line this year in body. My heart was there.

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Our Resurrection Garden

Pascha Boxes

You will have to forgive the poor photos - I had to switch cameras in order to make these pictures load properly, so quality is not great, but it will give you the idea :) First, let me say, my ideas unfortunately tend to come at the last minute. I will mull an event over in my mind for months (birthday party, wedding, anniversary celebration, whatever) and think I have thought of everything. Then, at the last minute, my favorite ideas come, and I am frantically trying to make them happen. These boxes are a great example. Last year, I got up on Lazarus Saturday and had an idea, for Holy Week items for my kids. When I lamented to my husband that the idea just now hit me, he very calmly stated maybe it was from the devil! Not what I wanted to hear. But, at the same time, his comment had a great deal of wisdom. He pointed out that spending the next few days frantically trying to create these boxes was a distraction, one that would take me away from other more important things I should be doing. So, I listened, and I didn't try to pull it off last year. Instead, I spent the next year slowly collecting the items I wanted and preparing my boxes. I share this in hopes of giving an idea to you, but not distracting you. This is a big project. It may be more than you are interested in. That's okay. It may be too much to manage this year. That's okay. The beauty of the church is we live in a cycle. We get to do it again next year, God willing. So, if my idea inspires you, I thank God. I am sharing because others have so generously shared and inspired me, and if my small contribution inspires someone else then I am thankful.
This project is really a combination of two ideas. Over 10 years ago I purchased a set of "Resurrection eggs", a set of small plastic easter eggs, each one filled with an item pertaining to the story of the crucifixion and resurrection.

I loved the idea of those eggs, and I also loved the idea of Mary's Dormition boxes, a set of 14 boxes each containing a symbol of the Theotokos to be opened on each day of the Dormition Fast. Those two ideas percolated for a while, and I kept thinking, there has to be a way to make an Orthodox set of Resurrection eggs. Only after weeks of working on the idea did I discover Phyllis Onest has a lovely pamphlet on creating your own set :) Seems I like to reinvent things other people have already thought of! The problem with little plastic eggs though, is it is hard to find items small enough to fit inside, so I took Mary's idea of using the little paper mache boxes from the craft store - conveniently oval shaped, like an egg.

Last year we also purchased this wonderful book for the crocodile hunter, and I read it through. It has a beautiful explanation of each service of Holy Week. The overall themes for each day are laid out, as well as the many rich images we get from the readings during these services. So, using that book, my copy of the Services for Holy Week and Pascha, and a lot of red paint and m*d podge, here is what I came up with: Each box is about 6-7 inches by 4 inches, painted a deep red with an icon attached to the top. Most of the icons were old bulletins I had saved, I just cut and mod podged them on. The ones I did not have as bulletins I located through the OCA website. I painted the inside of each box in gold. Another way to do this on a smaller scale is to just make one box with an icon of the Resurrection on it, and rotate the items out each day. This would make for easier storage too! This project does not have to cost a lot, many of the items are things I found by scrounging through the kids stuff, or my fabric stash. The hardest part was getting enough of the boxes, as our local craft store will not special order these. I had to watch for a while to manage to gather enough (I made a set for a godchild, so I needed 14 :) but, they were very inexpensive, I think I paid $1.25 each because I got them each time they went half price.

Box 1: This box is for Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday. It contains a strip of linen fabric to represent the raising of Lazarus, a donkey (from the crocodile hunter's stash), palm branches (a piece of artificial greenery I found at H*bby L*bby, I just cut the individual fronds off) and icons of Mary and Martha, the Raising of Lazarus, and the Entrance into Jerusalem. I forgot to include them in the photo, but the other item I am putting in this box is the dried palm branches woven into crosses from past years.

Box 2: This box is for Sunday evening Bridegroom Matins and Monday morning services. The focus of these services is humility, with Joseph as the Old Testament type of Christ, suffering in humility before saving his people. The grapes (from a craft store) and figs are references to the parables told during these services.

Box 3: This box pertains to Bridegroom Matins on Monday evening and Tuesday mornings gospel readings. The theme of readiness for the final judgement runs through the readings and the parables of the 10 talents and the 10 virgins are told. The sheep and goats (from the crocodile hunter's stash) are a reference to the scripture in which the people will be divided at judgement. The coin recalls the story of the Pharisees' attempt to trick Christ - render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. I still want to include a lamp, perhaps made from sculpy, to represent the parable of the 10 virgins, but that may have to wait until next year.

Box 4: This box covers Tuesday evening through Wednesday evening, with an emphasis on healing. The scriptures read during these days recalls the parable of the good Samaritan, and references to Christ healing the sick. The pitcher, basin (doll house items) and vial of oil remind us of the harlot washing Christ's feet, and also His rebuke to the disciples that He came to save those who are sinful. The bag contains 30 pieces of silver, as Wednesday is also the day Judas is paid for his betrayal of Christ. Finally, the oil also calls to mind the Service of Holy Unction which is commonly held on Wednesday of Holy Week.

Box 5: This box is for the Mystical Supper, and contains a chalice, bread, an icon of the last supper and figures of Christ and disciples.

Box 6: This box covers the services of Thursday and Friday, from the Passion Gospel service to Royal Hours on Friday. It contains a small plastic sword (not shown - you know, one of those cocktail ones !) which Peter drew to defend Christ in the garden, a rooster as a reminder of Peter's betrayal hours later, a crown of thorns (miniature wreath from H*bby L*bby), a vial of vinegar as offered to Christ on the cross, a strip of leather to remind of the beating he received, a die as they cast lots for his clothing, and a small wooden skewer to represent the spear that pierced His side.

Box 7: The final box is for Saturday, and contains a strip of linen to represent Christ's burial, vials of frankincense and myrrh which the women took to the tomb to prepare his body, a stone, icons of the resurrection and the risen Christ figure.

Some of the items in the boxes are not appropriate for younger children, and I am sure there are many other items that could be included, and ways to personalize this project. We plan to take each box to church during those services, and use the items as reminders for what the kids should be listening for during the readings. As I said, I did not have this ready last year, but I did collect a few items to use last year, and it was amazing how effective it was for my 4 year old to hold those grapes, and then how excited she was when she actually heard the parable of the vineyard. If nothing else, it tuned them in to the readings, and gave them something visual to contemplate throughout some VERY LONG services that test the patience of even the most tolerant of children!