Although my present call at Living Hope and Christ the King Lutheran Churches doesn’t have a regular monthly print newsletter in the same way my previous congregation did, I have started a somewhat-quarterly print newsletter shared between the two congregations, for which I write a brief column.
Here’s my column from our Spring 2023 Stronger Together joint print newsletter. Read the Living Hope version of the 2023 spring newsletter here as a PDF.
EASTER IS THE ANSWER
Throughout the season of Lent, we’ve been exploring the theme “Seeking: Honest Questions for Deeper Faith.” Lent is a season for wandering through wilderness, exploring, wondering, and questioning. At the end of our Lenten journey is the Good Friday story of the cross, the place where we see God’s love most fully revealed as Jesus lays down his life for our sake.
And then comes Easter. Easter is the ultimate answer to all the questions we’ve asked. Easter is the climax of the story, the moment when we see the proof that Jesus is who he is. It’s the proof of death’s defeat. The empty tomb declares that the cross was God’s moment of triumph, rather than the defeat it appeared to be. We gather together to sing in celebration, joyfully proclaiming, “Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!”
And yet, Easter brings up another question: So what? What do we do with the news that Jesus is alive? Where do we go from here? How do we respond to the promise that death has been defeated, the promise that God’s kingdom has broken into our world?
Siblings in Christ, this is our question to answer. As individual believers and as a community of faith, how will we react to Easter? Will we allow the good news of the resurrection to shape the way we live? Will we respond to the grace God has given us by inviting others to know the hope we have, sharing the gospel, and loving our neighbors in Jesus’ name?
May the Holy Spirit move us to action as we live out our faith. See you in church!
In Christ,
Pastor Daniel