I don’t think we can count on Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction about the arrival of spring but I do know that we will celebrate Easter very early this year.  Sunday March 27 will mark our remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus.  It will be a beautiful day.  I hope you will be with us.

Meanwhile, we will be making our way through the season of Lent as we set aside 40 days to focus on our faith.  During Lent we are thinking about Giving It Up for God as we invite the Lord to enter our lives in a deep and lasting way.  I do pray that you will be reading the daily devotions, praying the Scriptures, and seeking the journey your heart longs for.

We are all blessed when we come together around our desire to know God and to search the Scriptures!

I love reading in the Gospel of John during this time of year.  It gives us a strong and detailed picture of Jesus and his last days on earth.  If you start reading with Chapter 11 you will find Jesus just outside of Jerusalem at the home of Mary and Martha as Jesus provides life giving grace to their brother Lazarus.

From there he enters Jerusalem, sends his disciples to prepare the Upper Room, and engages them by washing their feet and feeding them at the Passover table.  The table leads us to the garden of Gethsemane and ultimately to the cross of crucifixion.

But the story does not stop there, the women travel to the tomb on the first day of the week to find that the stone was rolled away.  They did not understand immediately that Jesus had been raised but they became the first witness of the Easter message of celebration and hope.

I pray that that same message will be yours as we walk together to the cross, the tomb and beyond.

God bless you all.  Be sure to take advantage of the season of Lent so your heart will be right and ripe for the great celebration of hope that we know as Easter morning!

Peace

Randy Jessen