Easter Message: April 4, 2021

Dear Friends:

Resurrection is not a one-time event. 

Resurrection occurs twenty-four hours a day, every day of our lives.  We see it in the first rays of the morning sun and the first glimmer of the evening star.

We witness it in the light of the harvest moon and the reaping of the fruits of our labors.

We see it in the birth of a baby and all the new growth in spring.

And, yes, we acknowledge it in death when we proclaim that in death comes light and love and life everlasting.

It comes with or without our permission for God does not need our help in bringing forth new beginnings from endings.

With those words in mind, our Easter Reading this year is from Mark 16 1-8 NIV:

Jesus Has Risen

16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” 8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Yes, the women were afraid.  Many of us have experienced fear this year: fear of the unknown, fear of being close to others, fear of the new vaccines.

But, this Resurrection Sunday, let us put fear aside with this prayer:

God, make Easter my home. 
Shelter me from apathy with a desire to do good. 
Let the rhythm of my days pulse with your call to live justly. 
Set the table of my soul with the generosity of your Spirit. 
Furnish my life with such hope that, while I have breath, 
I might not only share good news but also be a source of it. 
God, make Easter not only my home but also my mission. 
Amen.

To all of you, a blessed and Happy Easter!

Pastor Beryl, DLM