April 15, 2019   The Time Is Near

An Easter Letter to my Northgate Family

It seems almost impossible to believe—what has happened to the time?!—but this week marks one last week in our journey through Lent toward Holy Week. Lent provides us a time to reflect on our own mortality, not in any morbid kind of way, but rather in terms of our own limitedness, be it limited resources, limited time, or limited abilities. Such reflection is not intended to lead us into despair or hopelessness, but rather to draw us into greater reflection (and hopefully understanding) of God’s great abundance and the freedom and generosity with which God shares that abundance with us.

The goal of Lent is in the events of Holy Week, most especially Good Friday, which does, in fact, focus our attention on the death— and thus mortality—of Jesus. Our Holy Week journey includes Palm Sunday, when we remember the celebration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with adoring crowds waving palms, and a beautiful Cantata by our choir. Good Friday is when we remember Jesus’ imprisonment and trial and, finally, his death on the Cross.

All these events, however, are only the proximate goal of the Lenten journey. The ultimate goal, of course, is Easter and the Resurrection. The ultimate goal of all our reflection during Lent is to be reminded of the power that Christ has to overcome any trial or state of despair—even the despair of death. The Resurrection reminds us that through Christ, God has even overpowered and taken captive death itself. That’s the power of Resurrection.

Resurrection, however, is not simply something that happened 2000 years ago nor something which will only happen in some distant future. Its power breaks into the here and now, among us, in the everyday, reminding us that God is still at work bringing new life out of despair, hopelessness, and even death.

The “GOOD NEWS” is Christ is ALIVE! We are to share that Good News. That can be done in a number of ways: holding the door for others as they enter or leave a building, a pleasant greeting and smile to others we do not know. Helping a stranger. Being that angel for those who need help or a visit. Praying for others. As we come to the day of Resurrection, remember we have put on Christ and we are the representatives in the world for God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.

May we remember our statement to the church given when we became members.. We promised to uphold it with our prayers, our presence, our service, our gifts and our witness. Let us be that witness come Easter Sunday Morning!

Continued blessings and Happy Easter!

Pastor Freddie Orr