Easter Letter 2009

Dear Friends,
Hymn # 364 in the red United Methodist Hymnal is “Because He Lives.”
“Because he lives, I can face tomorrow; because he lives, all fear is gone; because I know he holds the future, and life is worth the living just because he lives.”

For the past 40 days of Lent, we have spent time in prayer, reflection, meditation, and inner searching as we have journeyed from hurt to healing. Those 40 days of Lent lead us to the celebration of Easter, when Jesus rose from the dead! When Jesus rose from the dead, not only were the disciples changed, but the whole fabric of humanity was forever changed!

Because Jesus lives, we can face tomorrow and we face it with a hope that can’t be fully explained in words. This hope is lived out in our individual lives and in our church. We’ve been taking the journey from hurt to healing during Lent as we have been trimming away the places in our lives that keep us from fully experiencing Jesus’ resurrection and all of the emotions and stuff that blocks that hope and how we fully experience Jesus’ resurrection. This hope is not fleeting and does not come every once in awhile, but one that flows through every fiber of our being and every fiber of all of creation.

As we hear the stories of Jesus’ last week throughout this Holy Week, we remember not only Jesus’ last moments, but everything that happened in them. The pain that Jesus felt, the shame and humiliation, the abuse and the torture, the betrayal and abandonment, the anger and hurt…All of these things that Jesus experienced… And yet through all of this pain Jesus was able to show grace and mercy beyond our comprehension. Throughout Jesus’ pain and hurts, he was also able to be a healer. The stories that we share of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are important because they are part of our stories. Because He lives, we can face tomorrow!

As we join in worship this Holy Week, we have an opportunity to share our lives and our gifts with one another and with God. The Easter offering for Sheridan UMC will be used to further the mission and the ministry of the church as we live into our mission statement to share the Word of God through inspiring worship, Christian education, fellowship and mission outreach to our community and the world at large. These ministries include, but are not limited to Vacation Bible School, Sunday School, Monthly Dinners, Worship, Bible Studies, and the Food Pantry. The Easter offering for Norway UMC will be used for the roof & steeple fund.


Life is worth the living, just because He lives!


Blessings,
Pastor Melissa