Bethlehem Lutheran Church issued the following announcement on April 14
Dearest Members of Bethlehem,
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with the perseverance the race that has been set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
I hope you continue to enjoy and find meaning in your celebration of Easter. I know that I can honestly say that I was blessed with a bit of an Easter miracle this week.
It was Friday, the day we were slated to record our Easter morning service. I was eager to lead the service, but there was a part of me that was concerned about it as well. It was almost unthinkable for me to lead that particular worship service, with just a few of us there. You know how interactive my preaching style is… what would it be like to preach an Easter sermon with no interaction with those I love to explore scripture with…
Right or wrong, those were the honest feelings that I was tending to when I was preparing to record that sermon, I was very much still lingering in the shadow of the cross.
But then, as the recording began, as we started to move through the liturgy… it struck me, this is still worship. These words that we share together are imbued with power and they are proclaiming the resurrection of our Lord, the very truth upon which my whole life (and this is no exaggeration, there’s not even the slightest bit of hyperbole here) is built.
And when this revelation dawned upon me… I realized the proclamation, was still to be shared, that we (despite the social distancing) were still very much in this together. That this in fact, was our time!
And then, I could kind of see you, there in your pews, with smiles, and your smirks, and some of you fiddling with your phones, supposedly bored out of your minds… and my heart still soared. How could it not? We have been blessed, the journey that we have shared together, the journey we have shared with Christ, just like the resurrection of our Lord… can never be taken from us.
And so finally, in this Easter season I can say without blushing… Luther was right of course, as he wrapped up his most notorious hymn to jot the line, “The Kingdom’s ours forever!” It really is, in so many ways, it really is! Thank you for adding so much to the content and quality of my life and… thanks be to God!
Question for reflection: What was the most memorable aspect of your Easter celebration?
This week at Bethlehem:
Please be sure to check our website, our FaceBook “Get Connected” page, and our YouTube channel to discover the many ways we continue to minister to our congregation in these days.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Dan
Let us pray…
Gracious Lord, bless as we continue our celebration of your resurrection. This is a new day, and we have been made new in and through your grace. We trust that in the days ahead we will continue to see the miraculous in our midst, evidence of new life, and the hope that keeps us all connected to you. We pray all this in our Savior’s name, Amen.
Original source can be found here.
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