“From irrevocable hopelessness to irrevocable HOPE!”
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Lent is almost over and we are fast approaching our Easter celebration. God is always at work making a difference in our lives, it is just that we don’t stop long enough to notice God’s presence and work. Therefore, the little extra time for Wednesday in your life can open the door for you to feel touched and changed by God. Our Lenten Services have been one place where you might have felt a bit closer to the God of life in and through Jesus Christ as we focused on the AMAZING GRACE of God. We walked through God’s AMAZING GRACE for the humble, the despairing, the lost, the blind, the ashamed and the wretched… All of which we have been at one time or another.
Now we enter into Holy Week, beginning Sunday with Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem. A day of joy and hope will quickly turn to seemingly “irrevocable hopelessness” as Jesus will come before Pilate and the Jewish leadership. We will walk the journey with Jesus throughout the week as we come together on Maundy Thursday (April 6) at 7 P.M. and are moved by the stripping of the altar and walk from the sanctuary in silence. There will be a hanging sense of darkness as we come to church at 7 P.M. on Friday (April 7) to walk through the “Stations of the Cross” and we will leave in the darkness and hopelessness of the day.
What happens after we wait? The “irrevocable hopelessness” of death will be changed on Easter morning as we are changed by the IRREVOCABLE HOPEFULNESS of the resurrection. Easter is about the hope and promise of newness of life…
resurrection… transformation… and change! Death is now swallowed up in the hopefulness of victory as Jesus bursts forth from the tomb.
The truth of the human condition is that we struggle in hopeless situations and even people of faith wonder where God is in the midst of our struggle, hurt, and pain. Yet, the truth of Easter helps to break into those places of pain with a crack and glimmer of hope. Please remember God is inviting you back into the community which proclaims life and reminds us weekly of HOPE!
If you haven’t been with us much over these last few years I pray you will return to the community of HOPE! As imperfect as WE are, we carry with us the perfect promise of the One who can break into your heart and life. This is YOUR community of faith!
In your prayers over the next few weeks ask God to:
† fill you with a profound HOPEFULNESS,
† teach your heart how to be more loving,
† give you patience as you learn more about God’s word,
† reshape you into the Christian God wants you to be,
† fill you with his will and,
† ways overwhelm you with the knowledge of his love for you.
Easter is about new life. What newness are you hoping for this Easter with him?
In Christ,
Pastor Barb
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