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Happy Easter,
Easter begins with Easter
Sunday: April 5th this year. It is a holiday with
many symbols of new life - beginning with Jesus rising from His
death. The season ends on Pentecost Sunday, the day we celebrate
God empowering the early Church (This year it�s May 24th).
As we have been preparing for Easter, many of us have been
studying �Be the Message.� It has provided us with challenges
and new insights into what it means to be a Christian. As we
have met in small groups a few people have shared with me how
much they have been blessed and changed through the group
studies. They provide a place to grow, to find hope, and to
receive support in life�s journey. Thank you to those who have
hosted, led, and participated in the groups. You are making a
difference. In fact the whole Be the Message study has
emphasized that we make a difference by taking small steps.
To see individuals grow and
change is exciting. Our Easter celebration will lift up our
newness in Christ. I expect each of us to be a little different
this year as we hear the message and begin to see it in the
lives of those around us. But I�m not just talking about
listening to a message. It is a new way of being and responding
to the world around us as we get to know better Jesus Christ and
become more like Him. Some may think this begins with an
evangelical church service, reading the Bible every day, praying
regularly, being in a small group or going to church on Sunday
morning. All of these are important and are the food that feeds
our growing spiritual being. Like the food you feed children as
they grow. It isn�t just the carrots, or the meat, or the milk
and cereal. It is everything together contributing to a healthy
body.
As we grow in Christ we are
challenged to do two things: 1) expect and ask God to do big
things; impossible things that you could never do on your own,
2) Step out in faith and begin to act in the power and strength
of God dwelling in you. It begins with small steps. We have been
challenged in our studies to love the one in front of us. Two
Easter events come to mind where simple people did what was
before them and then saw great things happen on Easter Sunday
when Jesus rose from the dead. First is Joseph of Arimathea. On
Good Friday he asked Pontius Pilate for the dead body of Jesus.
Took Jesus off the cross and placed him in a tomb. The tomb was
then sealed by a huge stone. Secondly, on Easter Sunday three
women went early to the tomb of Jesus with spices to prepare Him
for a proper burial. When they arrived, the huge stone had been
rolled away, the guards were gone and an angel told them Jesus
was not there. One of them, Mary, sat by the tomb weeping and
was the first person to see the risen Jesus Christ.
What is the big stone in
front of you today? What is the obstacle keeping you from
rejoicing? Join with us this Easter season and come expecting
God to do something great in your life.
Believing in the Christ who is
alive in us.
Pastor Dave Repenning
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