PJ’s Page –
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen, indeed, Alleluia!
A blessed Eastertide to you, beloved community
of God in this place!
Easter is not one day….surely the resurrection
deserves a full and robust celebration! Easter is
50 days! From Easter Sunday to the Feast of
Pentecost. Eastertide, as the season is known,
is a longer season than Lent, appropriately so.
Not only does the resurrection deserve an extended
celebration, but sometimes it takes us
longer to fully absorb the significance of the
news: Christ is risen!
We have much to celebrate in the life of this congregation. The housing is complete, beautiful, and inhabited
by families who now have safe and sustainable homes. The remodel is mostly complete and we once
again have a place to gather and eat and meet and celebrate….and so the appropriately named Celebration
Hall is open and in use. The Giving Garden has been rehabbed thanks to the diligent efforts of Bill and Laurie
Meade and the financial support of the Endowment Fund. The flowers are blooming all around our property;
at this writing the rhodies are about to burst forth with all of their magnificent color! So much to celebrate….
to quote one of my favorite hymns: “How can I keep from singing?”
There are two other celebrations in the month of May for which we give deep thanks. Vicar Laura graduates
from seminary on May 18th and six days later she and Kate will be married in Gloria Dei Worship Center at
Trinity Lutheran Seminary. I must tell you that this space holds a particularly special place in my heart. I
was ordained there after attending seminary in that place. It’s soaring ceilings point us right to where we
imagine God to be, although in truth God is all around us. We will celebrate and recognize Kate and Laura’s
marriage at LMLC in June (details still to come).
In addition to ALL of this, we congratulate and celebrate with Steve Olson, upon his acceptance into Luther
Seminary. Steve will participate as a Distance Student, taking classes both on campus as week long intensive
courses and in online cohorts. It’s a privilege and joy to watch the Spirit at work in where Steve is being
called.
Celebration is a place to dwell and a place to meet the risen Christ.
May our celebrating be joyous and may it sustain us in the confidence that death does not have the final
word! Christ has overcome the power of death. Alleluia!
Pastor Julie+