Dear Caldwell,
It’s Gail here at the keyboard this week. I send you Eastertide greetings from Caldwell.
Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with that term – Eastertide. What it means is that Easter is more than a day. Yes, we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord this past Sunday – and it was a time of great joy, God-honoring and soul-stirring music, and we heard the Word of God read and proclaimed. There was brunch before worship and more time of conversation afterwards. There were oodles of children, an Easter egg hunt, and one particularly pink Easter bonnet that brought smiles to many faces.
The day of resurrection is, indeed, a glorious day for the body of Christ all over the world.* It’s the foundation upon which our faith stands. The tomb is empty and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is alive. Our Lord is on the move here at Caldwell and far beyond. For that we give God our thanks and praise.
Eastertide, however, is a period of fifty days that follows Lent and Easter Day. It is a celebratory time during which we remember the resurrection, consider the post-resurrection appearances of Christ among the people, and move towards Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon God’s people, filled them with words of praise and gave them power to go out into the world to live as Easter people.
That’s what we are. That’s who we are – people whose life and whose mission are given to us by the God who raised Jesus from the dead on Easter morning. We are God’s people. We are the living body of Christ in the world, living a new life in Christ by the power of the Spirit. We are Easter people.
One of the signs of new life that God is bringing to Caldwell is the beginning of the work on the sanctuary roof. Thanks be to God for the generosity of God’s people so that the work of ministry can continue here – without roof leaks and without paint chips falling our heads. It may be messy for a while, but the outcome will be glorious.
This coming Sunday, John will preach from John 20:19-31, the section that usually draws our attention to “doubting Thomas.” But before Thomas appears in that passage, Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on his followers and spoke to them about the importance of forgiveness. What do those two actions tell us about the priorities Jesus had for his disciples following the resurrection? What do those actions and what do Christ’s words say to us in 2019 as we enter Eastertide?
Please plan to join us in worship on Sunday as we explore these questions together in worship.
May the same power that raised Jesus from the dead fill you, encourage you, and embolden you to continue with the work you have been called to do as one of God’s beloved Easter people.
Grace and peace, Gail
*Although Easter Day was a day of great celebration here at Caldwell, we cannot forget to pray for the many hundreds of families affected by the horrific acts of violence carried out this past Sunday in Sri Lanka.