Dear Friends,

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3 NRSV)

We are walking the way of Holy Week as we come to the celebration of the resurrection. I give thanks that our faith does not gloss over suffering and death in order to get to the glory of the empty tomb. Our scriptures and our tradition tell the story that life is hard. God meets us in the realities of life and transforms all suffering, even death. We are given a living hope. 

I am grateful to be part of a community of people who share the stories of their lives with each other. We share the stories of doubt, suffering, joy and wonder. Through those stories I see grace and the reality of resurrection. God knows your story and is with you in it. We all bring our stories to the cross, and to the altar. God accepts us and gives us God's self. You are living witnesses of this grace. 

You are also the people empowered to do ministry. This week has been a busy time as many people are preparing for our multiple worship services. So much happens behind the scenes to make our worship gatherings possible. Thank you. In the midst of that we continue to pray together, feed our neighbors, and carry on with the day to day work of the church. Say a prayer for your fellow ministers. 

As we celebrate the resurrection, let us not leave it in the realm of church and religion. The resurrection means that there is no situation in which we can say that there is no hope. Even death can't stop God working in the world. Christ is present to us, calling us to live in this hope. We name that hope not just in the church, but in the world. Hold on to this living hope and share this hope with others. 

Peace, 
Fr. John Mark