An Image of Transformation
Wasn’t Sunday a wonderful celebration?!
Whether you were one of the nearly 400 people who gathered with us in person, or one of the nearly 700 who joined in online – I hope you not only felt the warm embrace of our community, but also encountered the risen Jesus through our worship together!
I want to publicly thank all the deacons, elders and members of our Gather-to-Grow Team who prepared and served that delicious brunch between services. I want to thank Megan and Kenton, Aaron and Aidan, Josh and the Chancel Choir for leading us in some gorgeous music. I want to thank Aidan, Jacob, Ethan and Jim for their help in the AV booth and getting everything streaming to so many people. I want to thank Cheryl & Alaina and all our greeters and ushers and safety and security team for being some of the first faces and voices that welcomed you in to worship. And I want to thank you, for showing up and making our Easter worship so special!
One highlight for me was the cross – a symbol of sin and shame, covered with so many black patches we had nailed to it just 3 days prior, now utterly transformed into a symbol of beauty, goodness and life – wrapped in glittering strands and holding white flowers. It’s so beautiful, we’re choosing to keep it up for another Sunday at least! That image of beauty and transformation is a powerful reminder of what God has already done in Jesus, and what God has promised to do in us and in our world. And that… causes us to celebrate!
When faced with something as amazing as the resurrection, when face-to-face with someone as amazing as the Living God, what else can we do, right? These practices we’ve introduced have been just another way to encounter God, to open ourselves up to God, and to be transformed, more and more, to the image of Jesus Christ.
We have one more Spiritual Practice to introduce this coming Sunday, one final Invitation to be formed in Christ. Again, I encourage you to pick up and take home any of the guides we’ve produced, especially as we’ve kind of rushed through Holy Week with Bible Meditation (Palm Sunday), Confession & Submission (Maundy Thursday) and Worship & Celebration (Easter). Even if you’re familiar with these as ideas, or even as Christian Practices, the guides provide an easy entry point into trying them, or trying them in a new way.
Sunday it will all come together with a post-resurrection story that meets us, and Jesus, at the table. We’ll celebrate communion… together and we will… hold the presses – get to hear the magnificent and joyful tones of our newly installed organ too! Even if you’re not an organ aficionado, I think you’ll appreciate the music Kenton can make on it!
Welcoming You to Grow in Jesus – and extending our celebration,
Pastor Don