Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
Spring is in the air. The magnolias are blooming at Augusta National; the Mariners are playing baseball, recreational boaters are getting ready to raise the sails, and the days are getting longer and warmer.
Tomorrow we will wake to Easter, to egg hunts, breakfast, choir anthems, and the celebration that sets Christianity apart from all other religions. Spring is in the air.
This day, this Saturday, is a dark and quiet day. The Biblical story goes dark and silent. The violent horror of Good Friday has passed, the threat of this revolutionary country rabbi seems to have been extinguished. His body was hastily prepared for burial and encased inside the rock foundations of the earth.
This day is dark and quiet. There were only a few followers of Jesus left, eleven terrified disciples and a cohort of grief-stricken women. The followers of Jesus are in hiding. Fear ruled their lives, their hopes and dreams were buried with their master; there may very well have been crosses waiting for them.
This day, this Saturday, is a dark and quiet day.
Sometimes our lives become very dark and quiet. Uncertainty plagues us, fear stalks us, shame mocks us, and we find ourselves hiding. Dark and quiet.
The darkness threatens to suffocate us; the quiet is deafening.
This day, this Saturday, plays out for all of us; no one escapes this Saturday. The message of this Saturday is clear — hold on.
Hold on in the darkness; wait for the morning light. Hold on in the silence. The anthems of good news will greet us again if we can only hold on.
Twelve disciples wept. Twelve disciples were grief-stricken and crestfallen by their betrayal. All of life had turned in a moment, a lonesome rooster crowed, “it echoed through the canyons like the disappearing dreams of yesterday.”
Twelve disciples wept from the darkness of a common human experience. Eleven would hold on through the night and experience the joy of Easter. One could not find enough hope to see that the darkness always gives way to light.
This day, this Saturday, is a dark and quiet day. Hold on and I will see you at sunrise. Easter will soon break into a fallen world and we will rejoice again.
Pastor Jim
It is with a heavy heart that we grieve the deaths this week of three of our beloved Trinity members…
Tom Nack, Lisa Bjork & Mollie Lile. Hold on; death will not have the last word.
Quiet & Dark |
Today’s Word from Pastor Jim Spring is in the air. The magnolias are blooming at Augusta National; the Mariners are playing baseball, recreational boaters are getting ready to raise the sails, and the days are getting longer and warmer. Tomorrow we will wake to Easter, to egg hunts, breakfast, choir anthems, and the celebration that sets Christianity apart from all other religions. Spring is in the air. This day, this Saturday, is a dark and quiet day. The Biblical story goes dark and silent. The violent horror of Good Friday has passed, the threat of this revolutionary country rabbi seems to have been extinguished. His body was hastily prepared for burial and encased inside the rock foundations of the earth. This day is dark and quiet. There were only a few followers of Jesus left, eleven terrified disciples and a cohort of grief-stricken women. The followers of Jesus are in hiding. Fear ruled their lives, their hopes and dreams were buried with their master; there may very well have been crosses waiting for them. This day, this Saturday, is a dark and quiet day. Sometimes our lives become very dark and quiet. Uncertainty plagues us, fear stalks us, shame mocks us, and we find ourselves hiding. Dark and quiet. The darkness threatens to suffocate us; the quiet is deafening. This day, this Saturday, plays out for all of us; no one escapes this Saturday. The message of this Saturday is clear — hold on. Hold on in the darkness; wait for the morning light. Hold on in the silence. The anthems of good news will greet us again if we can only hold on. Twelve disciples wept. Twelve disciples were grief-stricken and crestfallen by their betrayal. All of life had turned in a moment, a lonesome rooster crowed, “it echoed through the canyons like the disappearing dreams of yesterday.” Twelve disciples wept from the darkness of a common human experience. Eleven would hold on through the night and experience the joy of Easter. One could not find enough hope to see that the darkness always gives way to light. This day, this Saturday, is a dark and quiet day. Hold on and I will see you at sunrise. Easter will soon break into a fallen world and we will rejoice again. Pastor Jim It is with a heavy heart that we grieve the deaths this week of three of our beloved Trinity members… |