Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord + Jesus Christ. Amen.
As you read this letter, we are preparing to celebrate the various and sometimes difficult, but awe-inspiring, liturgies of Holy Week and the Resurrection of our Lord. This service includes the entrance of our victorious King into Jerusalem, as He processes to Golgotha; Maundy Thursdaywhere we will celebrate the Lord giving us a new commandment and His testament in His blood;Tenebrae, on Good Friday, as we, in repentance remember the agony and bitter sufferings of our Savior, and the most fabulous liturgy of all--The Resurrection of our Lord! So you may ask - why is all this important?
Well, in sermons and classes, we reflect on all that Jesus has done for us. The worship service during Holy Week, the worship of our risen Savior on the Day of His Resurrection, and the Sundays of Easter are all designed for one, and only one purpose, only-His love.
So here's my challenge to you! The challenge of the days and weeks and months following our celebration of this Resurrection is to experience and bear witness to continuing resurrection in our own lives, in the life of the church, and in the world, which we are a dynamic and influential part.
The Sundays after Easter are often experienced as low Sundays, a reference to the sense of "let-down" after the "build-up" of Lenten expectations, which culminates in our celebration of Jesus' resurrection. But we must strive to continue with the same fervor and excitement over the celebration of Christ's resurrection. We continue to sing the joy-filled hymns and read the post-resurrection pericopes and pray the thanksgiving prayers of Easter. "Christ is risen!" we exclaim and others respond with a joyous. "He is risen indeed!"
He really is risen and He lives! Because of His love, we, too, will rise and live, with Him, for eternity. Therefore, we continue to proclaim the Good News, with everyone! What a marvelous opportunity to experience and express continuing resurrection in ourselves and in the world, to the glory of God!
Your Servant In Christ,
Pastor Patterson
Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone the Glory!)
