Cross And Resurrection:
Your Journey Of Heart And Soul With Jesus
This is my last “Easter message” to you as your Rector. There is the
inevitable sense that I have to come up with something extra for this,
somehow more pointed or profound. But that is the Tempter working through
ego. Of course, the truth is that God through Jesus Christ has already
done the most profound thing in the death and Resurrection of Christ. Now,
God the Holy Spirit invites you to take part in those events and take hold
of them.
Please read and consider carefully the enclosed
“Notes for Holy Week Services.” Perhaps
now it’s best to put it bluntly: when you are a Christian trying to engage
the depth and experience of faith in Jesus, these services are the
priority in your life. Period. It’s not about “obligation;” it’s about
commitment, thankfulness, and the genuineness of your life of faith. It’s
about coming more and more to know the presence of God personally and
through the community of Christ. It’s about coming into new life—eternal
life, even here and now.
We are not passive participants, simply waiting for Easter to come. The
personal reality of Easter is the result of a journey—a pilgrimage of your
heart, mind, and soul. The services of Holy Week ask you to be intentional
about seeking discernment—and discernment always involves struggle. But
then, the light of the Resurrection bursts out in the darkness and eternal
life becomes the essential reality of all human life. This is the way it was
for Jesus, and following His way we will know His closer presence.
When you arrive at Easter, you will celebrate its surpassing truth for a
full fifty days (“the Great Fifty Days”). I urge you to find some special
way to mark those days in your own homes. What, for you, would be a strong
daily reminder that Life trumps death, Grace trumps sin, and Feast
trumps fast? Last year, Ellen and I found that a great way for us to do this
was to burn scented candles in every room of the house through the Day of
Pentecost—each morning until work, and then each evening until bedtime. The
scent for us was virtually vocal: “CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED.
ALLELUIA!” We plan to make this a joyous tradition. Please find your own
way to hear or see that proclamation in your lives each day.
My most passionate prayer in this poignant time for us as priest and people
is that all of you will know the healing, the joy, and the hope given to us
in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that you will hold these realities
fast and close until we share them together again in the glorious Company of
Heaven.
In Christ,
Shannon+
