April 1, 2024
Beloved of God,
We are sending out this April letter considerably earlier than we otherwise would because of something that might happen before the calendar turns to April.
The last day of March this year, March 31st, is perhaps the most important day of the year for a church: Easter, the day we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.
We are planning to have one Easter worship service at 8:00 a.m. outside in the Courtyard, and an entirely different one at 10:00 inside in the Sanctuary. (Both services will be streamed live.)
The present weather forecast says that there is a three-to-one likelihood of rain at the time of that first Easter service this year.
We want you all to know that we will have that first Easter service whatever the weather will be at the scheduled 8:00 a.m. time. If it is raining, or if there is a high chance there will be rain before the service is over, we have made plans to hold it indoors.
The two of us sometimes reflect on how the older we get, the more things there are about which we are uncertain, but the more certain we are about the things about which we are certain. We are all the more certain that God loves everyone just as they are, that Jesus is real and life’s most precious gift, that the Bible is the greatest source of wisdom in the world, that God is good all the time and works for good in all things – to name just a few examples. What we are less certain about is how God is working exactly for good in any number of situations, how best to run a church, or how the weather will be just a few days from now.
We don’t mind this development. For the more confident we are that God is completely faithful and gracious and wise, the less we feel the need to figure everything out. It is enough to rest assured that He has everything figured out and will always do what’s best. Because we know what is in His heart, we don’t have to know everything in His mind. While we love to seek to understand His will, we are content to leave what we don’t understand in His hands – and to thank Him by faith ahead of time for whatever happens. So let us entrust our unknown future to the God who has made Himself known in the death and resurrection of Jesus – and proven therein His love and power to bless us mightily.
Warmly in Christ,
Rob & Adele
