Pastor's Word for May 2022

Message from the Interim Pastor

Happy Easter! It was lovely to see so many of you in church on Easter, to witness the baptism of Isabella Eve Anderson, and most of all- to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and Savior!

I've been partial to Easter and to this quote from 2 Corinthians for many years. I think I first truly understood Easter when I was 18 years old and my beloved Uncle Ken died on Easter Monday. He had been battling cancer and he left us much too early. One of those losses that we still grieve deeply in our family. His funeral took place the next weekend, with the church still decorated for Easter. We sang Easter hymns. The lively, resurrection themed music sung as we gathered around the casket brought to life for me the promises of Easter in a new way. Though our bodies will all eventually die, we have hope in the promise of resurrection and eternal life. In his life and in his death, my uncle was an example of faith for me.

The verse from 2 Corinthians reminds me that we are made new in Christ, anytime we live in him. Done something you aren't proud of? In Christ, you are forgiven and made new. Is there a part of your life that has died (relationships, jobs, friendships)? Let those go, and God will make room for something new.

Both of these things are true in the church as well. The church is constantly dying and rising. We must always be made new in Christ. And for new life to come, there must also be a letting go, and a kind of dying.

Easter tells us that God makes life come out of the tomb. We may rise with scars, and we may be changed- but through Christ, we will rise. Do we trust this promise?

Let's pray about this, and trust that God will make new things come for us in all areas of our life.

Pastor Heidi