Union family,
We are in the middle of Holy Week. But it is such a different week than we could have ever imagined. We didn’t gather in the sanctuary to wave palms on Sunday. We are not gathering on Maundy Thursday to remember the night Jesus ate a last supper with his disciples, washed their feet, and was betrayed by one of his own. And now we are drawing close to Easter Sunday. We will miss the time at sunrise – around the fire, with the mist rising from the ground. We will miss greeting each other with the words, “He is risen. He is risen indeed.” We will miss our floral cross and the beautiful Easter music ringing from our sanctuary.
I truly think that we might experience what that first Easter must have been like for those early believers. They were not in a sanctuary filled with singing. Instead, they were locked in their homes, afraid, knowing of the danger that was just outside their doors.
What will Easter be like for us this year? I truly believe that it can be extraordinary if we let it. Whether we are quarantined at home or not, Jesus is still risen. The good news of that first Easter can still ring from our hearts and our homes. Can you offer the words, “He is risen. He is risen indeed!” when you get out of bed each morning? These words, often saved for Easter Sunday, can be spoken every day of the week. Why don’t we begin saying them today? In the midst of life like we’ve never known, these words remain the same, calling us to the hope that only Jesus can give.
-Pastor Jane