Thank you all for helping to make this past weekend such a blessing to me and to the congregation. Saturday morning, we had approximately 100 runners & walkers show up for the 9th Annual Edward Askew Memorial Mission Run. The weather was absolutely perfect, and a great time was had by all. Not only was the fellowship great, but we were also blessed by God through our participants and sponsors to have raised a record amount of over $12,500(!) to be used for the missions ministry of our congregation. I want to say a public word of thanks to Gina Sanford for all the work she put into making this happen, along with all of you who showed up to help be a part of the support staff on Saturday morning.
What a great Easter Sunday celebration we were privileged to be a part of on Sunday! We had over 160 people worship between the two services. It was especially wonderful to be a part of sending our youth and their leaders out on the mission to Heifer at the 8:30 service. As I saw each of them come down the aisle to be greeted and prayed for by you all, I was inspired to see that God has given us such a great youth group to inspire us to further the kingdom of God. The excitement and anticipation on their faces (admittedly with a little sleep in some of their eyes as well) made me want to hop in the van with them, and I hope to be a part of their future missions.
One of the most interesting things to me about Easter is that for so many of us, Easter is but a day, or even a morning, and then it disappears. However, for those of us in the Christian faith, Easter is not only a day, but a season that lasts until Pentecost. Easter is not only a season that lasts until Pentecost, it is a way of life. Once we have encountered the empty tomb, we cannot help but be absolutely hopeful of God's amazing work to be done in our lives and in the world. Once we have encountered the empty tomb, we are confronted with a Lord who not only calls us to service, but a Lord who keeps his word and assures us that our faith is not in vain. Simply put, when we encounter the empty tomb, we become a people of hope and love, not a people of despair and hate.
During this Easter season, we will be looking at the post-Resurrection texts with a focus on what did the people see? As they encountered the risen Lord, what happened? What are the implications for us today? Start by asking yourself what do you see when you see the post-Resurrection Jesus?
See you Sunday!
Lamar
What a great Easter Sunday celebration we were privileged to be a part of on Sunday! We had over 160 people worship between the two services. It was especially wonderful to be a part of sending our youth and their leaders out on the mission to Heifer at the 8:30 service. As I saw each of them come down the aisle to be greeted and prayed for by you all, I was inspired to see that God has given us such a great youth group to inspire us to further the kingdom of God. The excitement and anticipation on their faces (admittedly with a little sleep in some of their eyes as well) made me want to hop in the van with them, and I hope to be a part of their future missions.
One of the most interesting things to me about Easter is that for so many of us, Easter is but a day, or even a morning, and then it disappears. However, for those of us in the Christian faith, Easter is not only a day, but a season that lasts until Pentecost. Easter is not only a season that lasts until Pentecost, it is a way of life. Once we have encountered the empty tomb, we cannot help but be absolutely hopeful of God's amazing work to be done in our lives and in the world. Once we have encountered the empty tomb, we are confronted with a Lord who not only calls us to service, but a Lord who keeps his word and assures us that our faith is not in vain. Simply put, when we encounter the empty tomb, we become a people of hope and love, not a people of despair and hate.
During this Easter season, we will be looking at the post-Resurrection texts with a focus on what did the people see? As they encountered the risen Lord, what happened? What are the implications for us today? Start by asking yourself what do you see when you see the post-Resurrection Jesus?
See you Sunday!
Lamar
