A Season of New Beginnings:

Dear Friends in Christ,

ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! CHRIST IS RISEN. THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED!

The following excerpt is taken from the Forward Day by Day for April 21, 2019—Easter Sunday:

“My mom was a magnificent cook. She would change ingredients and seasonings, turning an old recipe into a totally new and different offering. Former recipes were not remembered—new ingredients transformed an old dish into something new. Jesus too knows all about creations and rebirth; he is the expert in turning old patterns and habits into life-giving purposes. The Word made flesh blessedly assures us that the former things—sin, sickness, death—will be relegated to an unremembered past, opening a space for something new to grow and bloom.

Easter reminds us of God's gifts of creativity and vision—of creating life where only death was before, creating light by which we can rightly see the world. Easter offers us a vision of hope and promise in this world, right here and right now, fresh and new and holy.”

In the liturgical season of Easter, we can rejoice in the risen Lord and in new life. We look for the promise of new creation. I know that our little rose garden is beginning to bloom with beautiful red and pink blooms and many more buds to come. Stacy and I wake up to our friendly cardinal singing and chirping each morning. Life is good! God is good to us!

Easter is a season of thankfulness and appreciation. I appreciate the morning sun, the longer days, the weather less cold and gloomy, and the morning temperatures a little warmer. It gives me hope that Summer is not far behind.

Spend the next week looking around you for the new creation. On Monday, April 8th, watch the eclipse with protective eye gear. It was amazing in 2017 when the path of totality passed right over my place of work in Oregon. Look up but also look around. See the crowd, listen for the birds, listen for sound. The fact that the moon, which is substantially smaller than the sun, can totally block the sun because it appears larger and is closer to the earth is what creates the eclipse. But think about this for a second, the earth, the moon, and the sun all have to line up together for 3-4 minutes to make this happen. This is God’s amazing creation at work!

Make this next week a week of discovery. A discovery of creation. A discovery of life. A discovery of self.

Blessings,

Rev. Anne+