Signs of Life

The next few weeks at North Danvers is going to be a hive of activity. All of the final efforts for the relief sale will be happening this week with the relief sale itself being held Friday and Saturday (March 18th and 19th). Next Sunday (March 20th) is Palm Sunday with the children participating in the service. On Maundy Thursday (March 24th) we’ll be having a Lord’s Supper service with a light supper. The community Good Friday service (March 25th) will be held at Carlock Mennonite Church, then on Saturday (March 26th) Carlock Christian is hosting an Easter Vigil for the first time. Of course, March 27th is Easter Sunday!

Whew! That’s a busy time! I encourage us to see all of this activity not as simply “busy-ness.” I pray that we can see these as the stirrings of life. If we look around our houses right now, we are seeing our yards greening. The birds are returning. The trees are beginning to bud. It won’t be long until some of those early flowers start poking out of the ground. All of this movement is the sign of life. It should be encouraging to us.

Above all, Easter reminds us that Christ came to bring life. In rising from the dead, he has defeated death. As Paul says, “if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11). This is the resurrection hope that Easter brings—the signs of life.

I know that some of you will be traveling on Spring Break over the next few weeks. Please know that we will be praying for your safe travel and that we really miss you when we are not all together. We look forward to your return.

For those who will be here, I hope you’ll consider inviting someone without a Church home to come to services with you on Easter.

I want you to know that Josanne and I appreciate and love you all.

God bless,

Brian