Greetings from Austin Street

Happy Easter!  All is well here at 811.  Early call with sunrise service at Rush Creek this morning. Due to the wind, I and the other scripture reader opted to read scripture from our phones rather than battle the bulletin.  And for me one of the best parts about reading scripture from my phone is that I can adjust the font size. Early in the morning that is kind of important. But the best part of the day was in the front yard of my brother’s house in Allen. Our family gathered for Easter celebration complete with egg hunt for the younger ones. Our great niece found this enormous egg and was instructed to give it to her mother. Asenath took the egg and inside the egg was another egg and so on…until she got to the middle. In the middle was a ring box and close by was her boyfriend who knelt on one knee in the front yard with family gathered as witnesses and asked her to marry him. It was the sweetest proposal I have ever seen.  She said yes!!! It was a great day. God is good and love wins!

Dear God, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!  Lord, the psalmist offers the  first response to Easter morning is to sing praises to God for answering us and becoming our salvation. I give thanks to You Oh loving Lord that that tomb was empty  and you told the woman to go and tell. Thank you for the new life that you have brought when you entered the world as a human and then threw everything off balance by raising Jesus Christ. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

Friends, every human relationship we have and the relationship we have with all creation is defined by relationship to Jesus Christ. This relationship is expressed in Word, water, bread and wine. God entered the created order of the world as a human being and then we are instructed to go and tell. Mary meets the risen Jesus at the empty tomb.  She goes there expecting to find the body of the one she has grown to love and more than anything wants to stay with His body to anoint it with the spices used in burial; remaining  in this place and time suffering in her grief. This is the Jesus she knows and is with whom she is familiar.  She would love to remain him in these familiar surroundings and perform the ritual anointing.  Jesus having compassion for her grieving heart says, “Woman, why are you weeping? Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Jesus identifies Himself to her and though she wants to stay Jesus does not let her do this. He simply tells her to go and tell. She leaves the garden of reunion to share her good news with the Disciples and others.  (I really like it that the first person to whom Jesus reveals his identity is the woman at the well and the first one he tells of his resurrection is also a woman.) Jesus calls us to meet him at the empty tomb and then go and tell the story to others. Mary Magdalene was given the calling to pass on the good news. We have been given the same call. Let us say with a voice filled with joy and truth… Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

“I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.”

Psalm 118: 17

Take joy in this incredible journey and tell someone what the risen Christ has done for you. Wear comfortable shoes, get some sleep and think pink.  Love you all, Bruce and Gaylene