A Word from Pastor Stephen – April 17, 2020

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NRSV)

Easter is over. Now what do we do? We have traveled with Jesus all through the gospels and it has brought us to this watershed moment in history. We have experienced and celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. Death has been defeated. Hallelujah! “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (1 Cor. 15:55)

Yet, sometimes it can be difficult to always feel the blessed assurance of the cross. This life can allow fear and worry and anxiety to creep in and steal that joy. Here we are trying to navigate how to do daily life during a pandemic. Everything feels uncertain and the ground beneath us is not solid. All the normal challenges of life continue. Some of us are dealing with an illness that still needs treatment or medicine. Elderly parents still need care and attention. Bills still need to be paid and the financial strains are accumulating faster than we can handle. Family issues can boil to the surface when forced to be at home together for this extended period of time. The hope of Easter can feel very far away at the moment.

We should always try and remember and hold in our hearts what Paul told the Corinthians. If we truly are in Christ, then we have been created into something brand new. The old has been washed away and something new has come. We will still face the sometimes harsh realities of life, but living as a new creation allows us to meet them with the grace of God by our side. In spite of all the obstacles, we can have the strength and courage to reach out and become the hands and feet of Jesus. We can go into a hungry and broken world with the message of hope the resurrection brings to all of us. Amen.