Pastor's Letter - April
Pastor’s Letter
April, 2020
Grace and Peace to you in the name of the Risen One who we will celebrate on Easter Sunday, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Everything feels odd, doesn't it?
A month ago, I didn't think we'd be here. I certainly expected to have the latter half of Lent filled with midweek worship, Holy Week, and all of those special services. Now all that is up in the air. The mainstream has cancelled everything up until Holy Week. We are not having worship at the church at least through next week, and if what people are saying is true, it may well go beyond that time. Right now, we're all homebound. Or we're supposed to be. I'm not going to say that much about that gathering at Centralia last weekend that had more than 300 people attend.
So even though it doesn't feel like it, Easter is coming. And regardless of what happens regarding the Coronavirus or anything else on this planet, Easter is coming. A virus can't stop that. No political leader can stop that. We will once again observe the resurrection of our Lord. Perhaps it will be at home. Maybe by that point we will actually get to worship together again. But Easter will come regardless.
So, that being said, even though we are in Lent, I am wondering if we need a little hope. I wonder if we need a little Easter. You may not know this, but the 40 Days in Lent do not count Sundays. Why? Each Sunday in Lent is supposed to be a "little Easter" of sorts, pointing towards that day of hope.
So here's what I want you to do when you read this: Think of things to look forward to. Think of things you miss. And then think of what it will be like when you actually get to do them. Maybe it's something as simple and easy as grabbing an ice cream cone at All-Stars. Maybe it's a big house project you all of a sudden have more time to do! Maybe it's a ministry project you have dreamt about for your church. If you have any of those, I'd love to hear about it!
Decorate your house for Easter. Use online resources (churches have uploaded recordings of hymns on YouTube) and sing your favorite Easter hymns, or at least listen to them. Create something!
We are people of the resurrection. And before we know it, we're going to get to show the world what that means.
Peace to you along the way,
Pastor Brian