Dear friends in Christ,
We are only a few days into this radiant, joyous Easter season. I hope your celebration is off to a good start and that it continues for the full 50 days.
I’ve been to Israel several times, and on one of my visits I was able to visit a first century tomb much like the one in which Jesus would have been buried. You can see a photo of the tomb I visited. Easter makes the astonishing claim that a dead man was put to rest in a tomb like this, and that on the third day, that same man was raised to new life and walked out of the tomb.
Though the resurrection story itself is amazing, its meaning is even more amazing. When Jesus Christ was raised to new life, it meant that God’s power was stronger than the evil of this world. Indeed, God’s love is stronger than the most vile hate. God’s love is stronger than our worst sins. God’s love is stronger even than death itself. Over the next few weeks in church, we’ll hear stories of our risen Lord and how he appeared to his disciples. They are stories of transformation, of amazement, and most importantly of the hope we share in Christ Jesus.
I’m grateful we have a whole season to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not a celebration of metaphor or myth or legend. It is a celebration of God’s love and an invitation to live a transformed life of hope and grace. This season invites us to live an Easter life.
We’ve just finished Lent, and many of us will have taken on Lenten disciplines. Have you ever thought about taking on an Easter discipline? It’s not too late! What might an Easter discipline look like for you?
Maybe you’ll find new ways to share messages of hope in a world of fear. Maybe you’ll practice reconciliation in a world of division. Maybe you’ll pray or study. (You could, for example, read the Book of Acts this season.) Maybe you’ll find ways to serve Jesus Christ in the hungry, the stranger, or the prisoner.
This season invites us to consider an important question: what does an Easter life look like?
Let us all treasure and celebrate this glorious season of resurrection, love, hope, and joy. Easter blessings be with you always! Alleluia, alleluia!
Yours faithfully,
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Today’s Flash Sale: For the Beauty of the Earth
God saw every living thing that was made, and indeed, it was very good. -Genesis 1:31
Dance along with the wind of God, be bathed in the primal waters, and look with awe and wonder on the myriad creatures God has made. Spend a day, a week, a month, or the whole year basking in the wonder of both fruit and flower, night and day, and everything thing that creeps upon the good earth. You are part and parcel of the very good creation God has made.
Join watercolor artist Kathrin Burleson and diverse voices from across The Episcopal Church in exploring the wonders of Creation and the beauty of the Creator. Burleson’s Creation-inspired watercolors offer inspiring visualizations that enhance the book’s 365 daily meditations, written by authors across the church and across the country.
Regular: $20
Today: $15
*Discount is valid until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time