March 1, 2024
Beloved of God,
Our faith centers – neither on our doctrines, nor on the traditions of our particular church, nor on our service to our city and the world beyond – but on a Person: a Person whom we believe to be, and may have experienced to be, both the perfect Human Being and “very God of very God” – a Person whom we take to be the Source of everything good about us and what we do – a Person whom we love and follow and depend on as Someone who is alive here and now.
Our faith builds on the daring conviction that this Person, Jesus Christ, who once was as dead as a doornail, rose from the grave, never to die again. To live out this faith is to bank on the reality of His resurrection and His ongoing companionship in life. It is to love Him, follow Him and rely on Him as the best Friend we could ever hope to have.
The church this month prepares us for the last day of this month: Easter Day when we especially celebrate the reality of Jesus’ resurrection and give thanks for His being there for us every moment of every day in eagerness to bless us – and, most especially, to live in us, and to have us live in Him, that we might live beyond ourselves through Him.
As those who walk through life with this living Person, we serve each other and those outside our spiritual community, and we bear witness to the risen Savior’s love and longing for everyone. We go out of our way to invite others who don’t yet know Him (or could know Him better) to give Him a second look and to open their hearts and minds to the One who reaches out to strike up a relationship.
To that end, let us, as the Spirit enables and our friends and family members allow, share what a difference this resurrected, living Savior has made for us, and invite those we care about to join us for Easter’s celebration (or any other church event) – perhaps to experience something of the presence of this living and loving Savior.
Warmly in Christ,
Rob & Adele
