Beloved Friends,

We are in the heart of the season of Eastertide- the 50 days between Easter and Pentecost. It is the season following the resurrection and prior to the ascension when we are reminded of the mystery of welcoming the risen Christ- the new and not altogether comprehensible identity of God’s love in a different form. And, I confess, it is the part of our collective faith story that I both yearn to understand, or at least willingly embrace and yet, truth be told, I still struggle with on a daily basis.

For years I have looked for help to make sense of this mystery, this transformation of Jesus and discern what it means in my life, the life of those I love and in the world around me. The good news is that I am absolutely certain I am not alone in this journey to make meaning of this “resurrection madness,” and finally I think I realize it is okay to feel nowhere near the proximity of an all-encompassing answer/explanation.

I also take great comfort in garnering a collection of wisdom, insight and inspiration from a plethora of sources- people and experiences I have discovered along the way; in the relationships close to home and in the writings and lives of those I have never met. Over the years, Rachel Held Evans has been one of those inspiring voices/writers to me. She died tragically two years ago at 37yrs old leaving not only a husband and two small children behind, but also an entire extended faith community who she influenced, challenged and inspired through her prolific writing. She once shared words I have taken on to describe moments like this in my own faith journey:

I am a Christian because the story of Jesus is the story I am willing to risk being wrong about.”

And so, I end this week with the reminder of how precious life is and how important companions are along the way. We indeed need each other, maybe more than ever before, as we courageously make our way in the world together, learning every day, bit by bit, how to live lives that approximate the teachings and path offered by Jesus; a way that invites us to become the beloved community.

Come home to either “Trinity@Home” at 9:00 (or any time after that) or Trinity@316 at 10:00 to be nurtured and maybe challenged; to be together in all the ways we can as we continue to believe we are called as disciples of the Risen Christ.

And may you never forget that you are loved.

Lisa

I Praise you for this Resurrection Madness (by Ted Loder)

Lord of such amazing surprises as put a catch in my breath
and wings on my heart.
I praise you for this joy, too great for words,
but not for tears and songs and sharing, for mercy
that blots out my betrayals and bids me begin again,
and to limp on, to hop-skip-and-jump on.

To mend what is broken in and around me
and to forgive the breakers; for this YES
to life and laughter, to love and lovers,
and to my unwinding self; for this Kingdom
unleashed in me and I in it forever.

And no dead ends to growing, to choices, to chances,
to calls to be just.
No dead ends to living, to making peace, to dreaming dreams,
to being glad of heart.
For this resurrection madness which is wiser than I
and in which I see how great you are, how full of grace,
Alleluia!

May you never forget that you are loved.
Lisa

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