Church Family,
We had such a beautiful Holy Week and Easter Sunday! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend with family and friends. It was amazing to see everyone at all of the Holy Week things we had going on. We had a wonderful turnout for the Egg Hunt and Easter story on Wednesday, including all of our amazing volunteers! We also had the sweetest moments of worship with Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Sunrise Service, and our two Easter services. The Resurrection of Jesus shapes every day of our lives.
This week, we start The Story and we start at the beginning! Plan to read Chapter 1 before Sunday! We are going to have an attendance competition with our Sunday School classes for the duration of the study. Gather your class this Sunday as we begin the competition. For those who do not have a Sunday Class, they are all open to anyone, but we will also have one located on the stage in the FLC for all those who are looking!
Some movies start at warp speed. Case in point: Star Trek. From the opening scene to the end, it barely lets you breathe. If you slipped out for popcorn, you were sure to miss something important. Some think that the way to maximize the movie-going experience is to be in your seat at least 20 minutes early. Never done that? Then next time you go to a movie, look around and spot the person that is in the prime seat—dead middle, eye level with the center of the screen. That’s what 20 minutes early gets you. Popcorn and drink in hand, nothing will move this person from their secured spot for the duration of the movie.
That’s where you need to be for God’s story. Its opening scene also starts with a relentless pace that doesn’t let up. The first line reads, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Right off the bat, we find the main character in the story is not you or me. It’s God. And the rest of The Story will unfold out of the nature and person of this character. Just ten words in and there is enough action to leave you breathless.
It doesn’t take long to find out what God’s great passion is. Birds? Nope. Animals? Not quite. Sun, moon, or stars? Bright guess. No, in Genesis 3:8, we find that God is walking in the Garden with Adam and Eve in the “cool of the day.” Sounds nice doesn’t it? And yet the “cool of the day” is not the focus.
God is and He is near. He is right there with Adam and Eve. And he is right here with us. His simple vision for His creation was to spend time with them every day, to take a walk with them. God’s supreme passion is to be with us.
Some of us have lived life with the idea that God is some angry cosmic killjoy who sits in the heavens and watches you, waiting for you to make a mistake so he can zap you. Or you feel he is distant and doesn’t care or has simply forgotten you.
But from the beginning, he has shown us this is not the case. He wants to be with you. He has not forgotten you. In fact, this might be the perfect time for you to go for a walk and see his creation.
I look forward to seeing each of you on Sunday! Who are you inviting to church this week?
Blessings,
Pastor Hayley