Lent 16: April Newsletter Article

Reposted from April Newsletter

This is the night

in which, in ancient times,

you delivered our forebears, the children of Israel,

and led them, dry-shod, through the sea.

This is the night

in which the darkness of sin has been purged away by the rising brightness.

This is the night

in which all who believe in Christ are rescued from evil and the gloom of sin,

are renewed in grace, and are restored to holiness.

- from the Easter Proclamation at the Vigil of Easter

Easter is coming, and I don’t know about you, but I am in need of some resurrection.

We’ve had a very active month of ministry at Lutheran Church of the Savior, with our Sunday adult gatherings around end-of-life issues led by our Faith-Based Wellness Partners, Holy Communion class for kids (including First Communion for three young people), Lent Wednesday gatherings that have grown to over 30 participants, and a monthly supper with so many guests we ran out of tickets and almost out of food.

I have also been busy, between speaking to a group of candidates for rostered leadership from across Michigan, preaching at the ordination of Jason Lukis in Minnesota, blogging a ton (though not as much as  I might like), visits, meetings, planning for Holy Week and deciding to get married.

But even in the midst of all this excitement, it’s time for some resurrection, for new life. A central feature of the Vigil and Easter Morning is our celebration and affirmation of our baptisms, in which we remember that we are constantly called to new life in Christ. Each night we are invited to die to our selfish, sinful lives so that we can rise every morning to a fresh start, another chance to be our best selves, to be the people God wants us to be.

At the Vigil we hear the stories of God’s saving work through all the history of the world, God always desiring the best for us, the flourishing and thriving of all of creation. We celebrate Christ’s resurrection knowing that it is our past, our future, and our present. The life we have on this earth is not the sum of our story, death is not the end of our story, resurrection beyond this world is our inheritance in the grace of God. And still in our lives following Jesus here and now we are called to live into resurrection, to constantly seek and find the new life God has for us even now. Easter is coming, the trees will begin to green and blossom, and life, in the risen Christ, will be our story.