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, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

                                                                                                I Peter 1:3-9

For all we have been through in over the past year now - and for all we have received and the many ways we’ve been blessed, we know that God cares for us beyond our deserving.  In light of all our struggles and the many things we have endured throughout our life - along with the many times we have celebrated and enjoyed life, we know that God is present with us even when we are at least aware of it. 

In this Eastertide season and in the light of resurrection, we know that God offers us newness of life in the here and now as well as eternal life beyond death.  Easter holds the promise of eternity’s Son-rise both now and forever.

“After the final no there comes a yes
and on that yes the future world depends.
No was the night.  Yes is the present sun.”

                                                                                   - Wallace Stevens

During Lent and leading up to Easter we were “Journeying with Christ” as we affirmed his “I Am” identities as our teacher, leader and Savior.  And now we are engaged in the challenge of “Light Living” as we move forward in the light of Christ as his modern day disciples.  In the words of the Apostle Paul:

“As surely as God is faithful, our word
to you has not be ‘Yes and No.’  For
the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom
we proclaimed among you…was not
Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes.”

                                                                        II Corinthians 1:18-19

During this seasonal time, may we know a larger “Springtime of the Soul” as our lives and the world around us open up more and more – and may we affirm our “Yes” in Christ as we grow in his “Light Living!”

Joyfully,

Rev. Dr. David D. Young
Senior Minister

This article appeared in the Wave on May 5, 2021