Today’s Word from Pastor Jim…
“I was glad when they said to me, ‘let us into the house of the Lord.’” Psalm 122
Dear Friends in Christ,
It has been three years since we have had the opportunity to celebrate Easter Sunday in a traditional way. Two years ago, the pandemic was fresh upon us, our campus was not open, we were all mostly locked behind closed doors, and Easter was celebrated online. There were no handshakes, no hugs, no Easter garden, no Easter breakfast, no egg hunts.
In the Spring of 2021, our sanctuary was still empty as we continued to produce weekly online worship and care for the health and safety of our people. Easter 2021 was celebrated in our cars in the TLC parking lot. We wore masks and social distanced from each other. We enjoyed breakfast sandwiches from a food truck and dreamed of a day when we would once again be together.
Tomorrow, Easter in all its glory will return to TLC. We will laugh, sing, dance, cry, commune, hunt eggs, and eat breakfast together. Our online ministry will continue as the services are streamed across the country, but Christianity has always been best expressed in the gathering of community. The long-awaited day has come; tomorrow we will gather in the church we love, in a sanctuary that is a “safe place” for all the people of God. Tomorrow, we will no longer be ONE DAY CLOSER; no, we will have arrived.
The Easter Garden will creatively take shape on Saturday, the sanctuary will be prepared, the breakfast will be prepped, our musicians will practice, and every detail of hospitality will be completed as we anticipate your arrival.
It has been three years since we have had the opportunity to share the joy of Easter together. I hope to see you tomorrow.
He is Risen
Pastor Jim
