By Pastor Wes Poole
Sirach 18:26
From morning to evening conditions change; all things move swiftly before the Lord. – NRSV
“All things move swiftly before the Lord”…a reminder that we are small, God is great, and that, in His sight, a million years might as well be a second. Here in this month of March, things are running swiftly for us as well. The next phase of the Lenten journey is almost upon us. Soon, the joyous Hosannas of Palm Sunday will quickly fade to the dark and unsettling events of the Passion. Holy Week moves quickly through the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday to the darkness of Good Friday. Then, as if all of that emotional upheaval weren’t enough, a glimmer of hope reappears on Holy Saturday that veritably bursts into elation as we hear those holiest of words once again…“Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!!!” Then we have the fifty days of Easter which carry us almost all the way to summer. It really is quite the roller coaster ride; a reminder that God’s will does not follow any of the constraints of human time.
As we take the exhilarating ride through the end of Lent, past Easter, into the often lazy months of summer, it is my hope and prayer that we will find ourselves returning to some semblance of normalcy. The vaccines are rolling out, the COVID numbers will start to tick down, and hopefully we will soon be able to worship together again. Indeed, your Church Council will be meeting tomorrow night to discuss the possibility of returning to in-person worship. Good things are happening! Regardless, the work of the Lord never stops, not for pandemics, not even for summer vacation!! We have all done our best to weather this admittedly daunting storm…and we are still The Church; we are the Lutheran Christian presence here in our community. There is ministry to do and ministries to restart. As a family of faith, we will have our work cut out for us. In the coming months, we’ll need fresh, new ideas for outreach and evangelism; to reach out into the community and show people the possibility of new life in Jesus Christ. There is just so much to do and plan and make happen. We want everyone who loves this community of faith called Good Shepherd Lutheran Church to come out and be a part of it. All things may indeed move swiftly before the Lord but, with His help, we might just show Him and our neighbors some swift movement of our own. Come and join in!
May the energy of Our God who never sleeps, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit inspire us all to keep His ministry alive, vibrant, and growing.
Let us pray…
God of Creation, we ask that you provide us with a fresh spirit of positivity and creativity. Help us to reach out and tell your Story to a world that needs to hear it now more than ever. As we quickly approach the celebration of your Son’s resurrection, help us live into that new life by recommitting ourselves to the ministry of this community of faith. Use us to show others the way to new life in Jesus Christ, for it is in his name that we pray. Amen.
Be well, be kind, and be safe. I hope to see you all soon!
Many blessings,
Pastor Wes†