Dear Glen Mar friends,
I’m so grateful for the wonderful Holy Week we had at Glen Mar this year and for all the work and love that went into all of it. Truly, the church is the collected people of God, using their gifts, as one body, blessed to be a blessing to others! I’m grateful.
Easter is not just one day, but a whole season of the liturgical year… and truly, in the words of the hymn, for a follower of Jesus “every day to us is Easter.” In that spirit, we will continue our worship with a new series called, A Living Hope, looking at how we are called to live in light of the Resurrection and the new life Jesus brings. I hope you’ll join us, and bring a friend!
Easter is something that happened once and changed the world… and the new life Easter is something that keeps on happening, by the power of the Holy Spirit, wherever the will of God is done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. I love this quote from Pastor Nadia Bolz Weber.
New looks like recovering alcoholics. New looks like reconciliation between two family members – neither of which actually deserve it. New looks like every time I manage to admit I was wrong and every time I manage to not mention when I’m right. New looks like every fresh start and every act of forgiveness and every moment of letting go of what we thought we couldn’t live without and then somehow living without it anyway. New is the thing you never saw coming …never even hoped for, but ends up being what you needed all along and it happens to all of us. Because God simply keeps reaching down into the dirt of humanity and pulling us out of the graves we dig for ourselves through our violence, our lies, our selfishness, our arrogance, and our addictions. And God keeps loving us back to life over and over. So yes, even now, even this year, Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death – and to those in the tombs, bestowing life. Defiantly believe it with me.”
It’s a new day and a new world… not just for one Sunday but for every day… because of what God has done in Christ. Happy (still) Easter!
See you in Church on Sunday!
Pastor Mandy
P.S. Save the Date! Special Lunch with the Pastors to learn more about the Mission Possible: Reaching the Goal Campaign. Sunday, May 7 at 12:30 pm in Youth Lounge. Also, it’ll be a chance to get all your “church finance” questions answered too. RSVP to Mary Ellen or Pastor Mandy by Monday, May 1.
