This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
Christ is risen, alleluia! As we begin April, we are in the heart of Holy Week, moving through Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, and then we come to the celebration of Easter for the rest of the month and into May. From the more somber time of Lent, we now explode into rejoicing as the world around us also opens up into the new life of springtime. And so this is a month for rejoicing and reveling in the new life in Christ that surrounds us.
- In what ways will you celebrate new life this month?
- How will you respond to the God who acted decisively in the world through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ?
- How will you show your joy at the continued presence of the living Christ around you each and every day?
- How will you give thanks to God for calling you by name, claiming you forever, and filling your with the Holy Spirit?
Within the life of St. Matthew, we will celebrate the living Christ through recognizing the ways that God continues to come into our lives. At the beginning of the month, we will have the Affirmation of Baptism by five of our younger members. We will rejoice with them in this great moment of taking on the promises of baptism for themselves and affirming their recognition of Christ’s presence among them. The last two Sundays of the month will include the sacrament of Holy Baptism, as we celebrate God’s claiming action and imparting of faith through the water and the Word. We will have the sacrament of Holy Communion on Easter Sunday in drive up format, to rejoice in the presence of the living Christ with us. We will also be having first communion classes this month, in preparation for children receiving their first communion in May.
Above all, we rejoice in the unfailing love of God, day after day, that we know in the resurrected Christ. While I often begin our Sunday worship by proclaiming that this is the day that the Lord has made, I have refrained from doing so during Lent. That reminder returns, however, as the conclusion of our Psalm on Easter Sunday. We remember again that each day is a gift to us from God, and that whether the day feels good or bad to us, God abides with us in each of them. God is good, and so the days are worthy of our joy.
—Pastor Eric