Dear First Pres,
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! What a wonderful celebration of the Lord’s resurrection we had on Sunday. I pray you all were encouraged as much as I was.
One of the ways I was encouraged was by all the folks who helped to make our Easter celebration happen. We had greeters, ushers, choir singers, worship leaders, musicians, sound techs, screen techs, live-stream techs, Sunday School leaders, Nursery workers, goodie makers, the reception set-up crew, the reception clean-up crew, photo booth workers, bulletin designers, bulletin stuffers, the pew crew, the prayer team, a busy custodian and a bunch of hospitable hosts in the pews. Thank you for making it such a great morning of worship.
I’m also encouraged because I know the Holy Spirit was at work among us. Praise God that He works in us and through us while we worship Him. I talked to one of our first-time guests who was deeply impacted by the service. She joyfully declared, “I’ll be back!” It truly seemed like God was working a new beginning in her heart. What a joy it will be to see how God brings that new beginning to fruition.
One of the main questions I asked in my Easter sermon was this: what new beginning is the Holy Spirit stirring in you? Maybe something stirred immediately in your heart and mind. If that was true for you, what have you done since Sunday to lean into that new beginning? Sometimes it’s easy to ignore the promptings of the Spirit, but it’s never good. Pay attention to what the Lord was stirring in you. Pray about it. Talk to others about it. And do something about it.
For others, I’m sure, you didn’t hear anything in the moment. But guess what? The Easter season continues all the way until Pentecost on May 19. If the prayer during Lent is asking the Lord what He needs to chip away in our lives to make us more like Jesus, the prayer during Easter season is asking what new thing the Holy Spirit wants to plant in us. So, even if nothing stirred during Sunday’s service, use this season to intentionally seek the Lord on this question.
Finally, this coming Sunday we start a new sermon series focused on the life of Abraham and Sarah found in Genesis 12-25. The series is called “The Call to Faith.” When Abram heard the word of the Lord, he obeyed. His obedience, by God’s grace, led to an incredible new beginning in his life and for the world. Whatever new beginnings the Holy Spirit stirs in our hearts, it’s never just for us. So, may the Holy Spirit stir our hearts to faith and obedience for the sake of what God wants to do through us.
Happy Easter, and may God bring His new beginnings in us and through us.
Blessings,
Jeremy
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