Remembering the Past this Easter Season

By the Rev. Karen Yokota Love

Easter is days away. Are you ready to receive the celebratory Alleluias? For Christians around the world, Holy Week and Easter are the high holy days of the liturgical year. During the holiest of times, we are invited to prayerfully commemorate and reflect upon the central events of our religious faith: the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, otherwise known as the Paschal Mystery. 

Palm Sunday

On Sunday, March 24, Palm Sunday kicks off Holy Week by recalling the full sweep of Jesus’ last week on earth: his paradoxically humble-yet-triumphal entry to Jerusalem. During our 10:00AM Worship Service, you’re invited to wave palm leaves as we reenact the parade that Jesus walked on that faithful day. A big thank you to church member, Christine Yorozu, for generously giving the palm leaves to the church. We’ll save those leaves for next year’s ashes for Ash Wednesday.  Usually, the Ash Wednesday ashes are created by burning palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebration. 

Good Friday at Japanese Baptist Church (JBC) 

You’re invited to the long-standing tradition of Blaine Memorial and Japanese Baptist Church’s collaborative Good Friday Service on Friday, March 29. JBC will host Blaine this year. They are providing a simple soup supper at 5:45PM. Our worship together will begin at 7:00PM in the sanctuary. JBC is located at 160 Broadway, Seattle, WA 98122. We are recommending that we meet at Blaine and then carpool together to JBC due to limited parking. 

Together, we will remember Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, the arrest by the authorities, and denial by Peter; his interrogation and swift condemnation; and his torture, death and burial. 

The Passion Narrative, as it is called, is a story of inherent drama: popular acclaim followed by public rejection; fear yet resolution at the prospect of suffering; betrayal, desertion and denial by close friends; the release of a guilty murderer named Barabbas (literally, “son of the father”) in exchange for the condemnation of the innocent Son of (God) the Father; cries of abandonment, prayers for forgiveness, and surrender into divine trust. Overall, we will remember the great love that Jesus has for us and the sacrifices that he made. 

Easter Festivities at Blaine

All of this culminates to Easter where we celebrate the Risen Christ! 

Easter Breakfast: Join us for Easter Breakfast in the LAC at 8:30AM as the Blaine Youth Group (BYG) will prepare, cook, and serve the breakfast. There will be two opportunities to eat: 8:30AM and after worship!

Flowering of the Cross: One of the most meaningful traditions that we celebrate on Easter Sunday is the Flowering of the Cross. It symbolizes new life in Christ. We invite all who are attending Easter Sunday worship (in person) to bring flowers from your garden (trimmed to a short stem). These flowers will be placed on the cross as you enter the Sanctuary for Easter worship.

Easter Egg Hunt: The Church School invites children to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt in the Courtyard (weather permitting). Please remind children to bring their own baskets, and feel free to invite your grandchildren, friends, and neighbors to join us for the hunt! 

Join us as we celebrate the transformation of new life! The Paschal Mystery is so great and dense with meaning that the church dedicates the 50 days of Easter to celebrate it, to give it a chance to sink in. Jesus is raised. We are loved and forgiven by God. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work even now through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, slowly and inevitably transforming the world – and us – into a new creation, just as it transformed his bruised and battered body. Amen to that. Alleluia!

Recapping Day of Remembrance

The wind and the rain sure didn’t prevent hundreds of people, including two dozen of our own church members from Blaine Memorial, from showing solidarity and passion at Sunday’s two-prong action Day of Remembrance event on Sunday, February 18, a day prior to the actual Day of Remembrance. A consistent theme throughout the day reiterated why it’s important to connect past atrocities to the present atrocities and what we can do to make a difference to stop repeating history. 

This year marked the 82anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066, authorizing the forced removal and incarceration of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II. The very first Day of Remembrance took place in Seattle in 1978, organized by Japanese Americans who would eventually lead a campaign for reparations from the federal government. This year, the Japanese American community of Western Washington commemorates our historical legacy by calling for closure of the Northwest Detention Center, an immigrant prison in Tacoma operated by GEO Group, a private corporation. 

Sunday was just one out of a series of events as a part of a week of action. On Friday, February 16, activists blocked entry to the federal building in downtown Seattle to protest proposed funding for immigrant detention. On Tuesday, February 20, activists marched to the King County Airport to deliver a letter to ICE contractor Signature Aviation demanding an end to the deportation flights serving NWDC. The events were organized by Tsuru for Solidarity, La Resistencia, Densho, Seattle and Puyallup Valley JACL chapters, and the Minidoka Pilgrimage Planning Committee demanding the shutdown of the Northwest Detention Center. 

The remembrances began with a ceremony in Puyallup, WA at the Washington State Fairgrounds which was once called “Camp Harmony” – a euphemism that was coined by a journalist in 1942. Camp Harmony detained 7,000 Japanese Americans and Alaska Natives in 1942. The ceremony took place in the same spot, 82 years ago, where the Puyallup Assembly Center was erected in 1942. Later, in the afternoon, everyone caravaned to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, WA to protest and to be in solidarity with those who are currently confined. The Northwest Detention Center is an immigration prison located in Tacoma, Washington. 

“The trauma of family separation, child imprisonment, poor sanitation, bad food, inadequate health care, and uncertain futures continues today at the Northwest Detention Center, just a 20-minute drive from Puyallup,” says Margaret Sekijima, a Tsuru for Solidarity organizer and Blaine Memorial church member. 

Opened in 2004, the NWDC is privately owned and operated by the GEO Group on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The NWDC’s current capacity is 1,575 people, making it the fourth largest immigration prison in the United States. 

In Puyallup, we heard powerful testimonies by many including a riveting testimonial from Mary Abo. Mary shared about her experience while witnessing her father being taken away by the FBI from her home in Juneau, Alaska. Shortly thereafter, she was shipped and detained with her family to the Puyallup Fairgrounds and the Minidoka Incarceration Camp. A highlight of her story included a memory of how her family was gifted a homemade chocolate cake while at Camp Harmony. The level of compassion and kindness moved her to tears and she’s carried that with her throughout her life. She chose to bring a homemade chocolate cake to a detainee from the Northwest Detention Center to pay the kindness forward. 

In Tacoma, the echoing sounds of Taiko drums opened our time together to raise the roof with drums and voices, and to remind those held inside know that they are not forgotten. They are not alone. 

There were many speakers which included Maru Mora-Villalpando, from La Resistencia. Maru was nearly deported due to her undocumented status. La Resistencia maintains contact with people inside and broadcast a video feed from an incarcerated person to the crowd protesting. Incarcerated people have been frequently going on hunger strikes this year over the center’s food and cleanliness.

Connecting and weaving the past atrocities from the First Nation peoples with a land acknowledgment to the Japanese American incarceration and then connecting the parallels of the immigrant prisoners at the Northwest Detention Center was a standout theme for the day. 

It is not enough to remember the past injustices but we must work together to stop the current injustices.

May you find hope and peace during this Easter season as we continue to seek justice, love our neighbor, and walk humbly with God. May you look for God in every face you meet. You are called and you are blessed for such a time as this. May it be so. 

The Rev. Karen Yokota Love serves as the Senior Pastor of Blaine Memorial UMC.

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Wednesday Meditation & Prayer • Every Wednesday

The Wednesday Prayer group continues to meet each week. Our time together consists of a check-in question centering around United Methodist Founder John Wesley’s famous question, “How is it with your soul?” Our time together continues with a few readings from The Upper Room Magazine. Finally, we end our time together with a pastoral prayer. Join us!

Educational Scholarships 2024, Apply Now! • Due May 15, 2024

The Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church Educational Scholarships are designed to support the mission of the church through supporting a multitude of educational opportunities. We are proud to have helped students in their pursuit of continuing education since 1968. We encourage all applicants; from those just entering their next phase of education to those returning to complete or pursue continued education.

We are blessed to offer the following scholarships:

• Vera Ing Scholarship
• Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church Scholarship
• Yasuda Scholarship
• William S. Yorozu Scholarship
• Robert S. Sato Scholarship

Applications are available through emailing Blaine Scholarships or through the church office. All scholarships will consider, but are not limited to, elements such as grades (if applicable), personal essay, church participation and finances. Applications and two (2) letters of recommendation must be received no later than May 15, 2024 for consideration.

We are looking forward to applicants excited about pursuing their education.

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