Spring Musings

Dear Friends:

Spring is finally making an appearance—and as I write this, we have the rain coming down to prove it.  I preferred the warmth and sun of yesterday!  (Opening day at Jumpin’ Jacks)—but as long as we are making progress toward the warmer, longer days, I’m happy.

It’s hard to get my mind around the fact that we are now facing another Easter with pandemic related restrictions.  We’ve gotten better at keeping the camera in mind when we decorate the sanctuary, way better at livestreaming in general of course . . . . and yet oh how we yearn for the days when we can gather in person to celebrate.

Last week, Session made some decisions about how worship  will be over the next few months; here’s the plan:

Easter Sunday—the Sunrise service, at 6:30 will be out doors (no livestream)

                             The 10 AM service will be livestreamed only—so that

wherever we are, we can all sing “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” as loudly and joyously as we want to!  And so that we can hear the choir sing.

Livestream only through the rest of April.

May 2, assuming the weather is on our side, we will begin to hold worship outdoors as we did last summer.  It will also be livestreamed, we’ll ask for RSVP’s.  We’ll do that through the summer, and hope that by September, we can feel safer joining together indoors.  On rainy days, we’ll revert to livestream only. 

Hopefully there will be various opportunities for outdoor gatherings of other types.

Christ is Risen, of course, no matter where we are.  Life overcomes death—even though COVID has left – and continues to leave—so much death in it’s wake.  Still, Life prevails, Love prevails.  I heard a sermon once, a long time ago, at a Princeton Seminary Graduation (which means the preacher was probably someone famous, but – I don’t remember who it was)—the last sentence of the sermon was something like:  “The Resurrection reminds us that Death will not have the last word.  God always has the last Word.”  It’s stayed with me all these years—and has never been more pertinent than through this last year.  Despite all the death and suffering—God always has the last Word.”

With hope and love,

Kathy