April Pastoral Letter
Dear Friends,
As I recall, I began last month’s pastoral letter with these words, “March comes in like a lion, but out like a lamb.” But, here we are at the beginning of April, and the weather is less like a docile lamb and more like an angry lion–ready to pounce on the delicate daffodil sprouts with pouring rain and freezing snow. In the midst of this temperamental spring weather, we look forward to the stable warm weather of summer.
The church calendar is made up of different seasons–liturgical seasons of Advent/Christmas and Lent/Easter. For the last six weeks, we have gone through Lent and we are now preparing to journey through Holy Week, following Jesus from the cheers of “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday to the shouts of “Crucify him” on Good Friday. For this Holy Week, Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes offers the following poem called “Weather Report”
Stormy,
as we plunder what we treasure
and murder whom we praise.
Expect tornado-like conditions
as the moist, unstable air of our words
meets the cold, dry air of our deeds.
This coming week especially,
be prepared to take shelter.
This coming week, be prepared to take shelter, as we remember the story of Jesus being met with brazen acts of betrayal and brutality.
On Thursday of this past week, I joined one of our Learning Circles at Sunny Jim’s for lunch and discussion of the book our church is reading, We Make the Road by Walking by Brian McLaren. I arrived after they had already been talking about the story of Holy Week. Before I could even sit down, someone asked me, “Why is Saturday (when Jesus’ body lay in the cold, dark tomb) called ‘Holy’”? And “why is Friday (when Jesus was beaten and crucified) called ‘Good’”?
Like any pastor stalling for time, I asked, “What do you all think?” Together, we had a good conversation about how even the darkest times God can claim for “good” and even the most godforsaken places God can call “holy.”
After all, that’s the meaning of Easter, right? Death and despair did not have the last word. God did. And it was a word of resurrection glory: everlasting love and eternal life for you and for me and for all who believe. The point is that the tornado-like conditions of Good Friday were overcome by the brilliant sonshine of Easter. No matter what the Farmer’s Almanac says about the weather, we can find strength for today and hope for a brighter tomorrow in the Bible:
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to keep silence and a time to speak…God has made everything suitable for its time. (Ecclesiastes 3)
Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. (Luke 24:5-7)
Friends, the weather of April may have come in like a lion, but still it holds the truth of Easter: Jesus, the Lamb of God, is risen from the dead! Let all the earth rejoice: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Easter Blessings,
Pastor Donna