Greetings From Pastor Lyn
Dear People,
Even though we have had signs of spring for some time now, the celebration of Easter somehow signals Spring better than the return of Day Light Savings Time or the Spring equinox. Easter was “early” this year, but it can occur even earlier. I found a site online that did a comparison of Easter dates year-to-year. Interestingly, this site asserts March 24th to be the “rarest” date for Easter. According to the Gregorian calendar, the interval between March 24th Easters is 467 years! The last time it happened was in 1818 and the next occurrence will be 2285. Let’s have a party that year!
The good news is that it is Easter still! The season lasts 50 days and brings us up to the Day of Pentecost. The gospel lessons this year for the Season of Easter speak to the idea of “belonging.” For example, the disciple Thomas will discover his place with Jesus remains regardless of his doubts and we will be reminded of our place in God’s family on Good Shepherd Sunday. We should be reassured that no matter how many times we misstep or doubt or question, there will always be a place for us. We belong to God. Jesus does not expect nor does Jesus ask that we be perfect but only that we abide in him and bear fruit that is honorable and life-giving.
Recently I came across a quote that went something like, “hope is not the belief that all will be well, but the belief that God is present and working through all things, so that no matter how things turn out, we will be okay.” That’s Easter hope on this side of heaven. On the other side, all things will be definitively well indeed.
2024 is 3 months old, the first quarter of the year already gone, yet so much has happened that the year feels older than three months. A lot of exciting and positive things along with the hard and challenging things. Oddly enough (or maybe not) it was a comment made by my veterinarian at a recent appointment for Gus the dog and Luther the cat, that got me thinking about all that has happened already this year. His comment compelled me to intentionally consider and remember (!) the fact that everyone has something they are dealing with.
Believing we belong to someone and we belong somewhere and that hope is real – no matter how things turn out, may be enough to help us eagerly anticipate the next season, the next 3 months, or the next year rather than dread the that time based on how the year has gone so far. In other words, Hope is the belief that no matter how things turn out, we will be okay. Jesus’ first disciples struggled with belonging and had trouble finding their bearings as they tried to understand the first post-Easter world. At times, we struggle to find our place in our own post-Easter world. Yet, just as those first disciples found their way, their place, so too will we. This Easter Season perhaps our struggles with belonging or with faith or the situations and people in our lives can be an example of courage and hope for others. Because, no matter how things turn out, we will be okay! Easter Hope, indeed!
Christ is Risen, He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!
Pastor Lyn
Even though we have had signs of spring for some time now, the celebration of Easter somehow signals Spring better than the return of Day Light Savings Time or the Spring equinox. Easter was “early” this year, but it can occur even earlier. I found a site online that did a comparison of Easter dates year-to-year. Interestingly, this site asserts March 24th to be the “rarest” date for Easter. According to the Gregorian calendar, the interval between March 24th Easters is 467 years! The last time it happened was in 1818 and the next occurrence will be 2285. Let’s have a party that year!
The good news is that it is Easter still! The season lasts 50 days and brings us up to the Day of Pentecost. The gospel lessons this year for the Season of Easter speak to the idea of “belonging.” For example, the disciple Thomas will discover his place with Jesus remains regardless of his doubts and we will be reminded of our place in God’s family on Good Shepherd Sunday. We should be reassured that no matter how many times we misstep or doubt or question, there will always be a place for us. We belong to God. Jesus does not expect nor does Jesus ask that we be perfect but only that we abide in him and bear fruit that is honorable and life-giving.
Recently I came across a quote that went something like, “hope is not the belief that all will be well, but the belief that God is present and working through all things, so that no matter how things turn out, we will be okay.” That’s Easter hope on this side of heaven. On the other side, all things will be definitively well indeed.
2024 is 3 months old, the first quarter of the year already gone, yet so much has happened that the year feels older than three months. A lot of exciting and positive things along with the hard and challenging things. Oddly enough (or maybe not) it was a comment made by my veterinarian at a recent appointment for Gus the dog and Luther the cat, that got me thinking about all that has happened already this year. His comment compelled me to intentionally consider and remember (!) the fact that everyone has something they are dealing with.
Believing we belong to someone and we belong somewhere and that hope is real – no matter how things turn out, may be enough to help us eagerly anticipate the next season, the next 3 months, or the next year rather than dread the that time based on how the year has gone so far. In other words, Hope is the belief that no matter how things turn out, we will be okay. Jesus’ first disciples struggled with belonging and had trouble finding their bearings as they tried to understand the first post-Easter world. At times, we struggle to find our place in our own post-Easter world. Yet, just as those first disciples found their way, their place, so too will we. This Easter Season perhaps our struggles with belonging or with faith or the situations and people in our lives can be an example of courage and hope for others. Because, no matter how things turn out, we will be okay! Easter Hope, indeed!
Christ is Risen, He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!
Pastor Lyn