Happy Easter! The Lord is Risen, the Lord is Risen Indeed!
An Easter Message from the Bethlehem Area Moravian clergy.
Tag: easter
“The Lord is Risen!”
There is no service of worship more characteristically “Moravian” than those based upon our Easter Morning Liturgy. Indeed, so central is it that Moravians often self-identify as “Easter people,” not because they believe they have any special claim to the promise of resurrection, but rather because the celebration of God’s raising of Jesus from the dead embodies the core of our faith and hope. How stirring it is to be among a congregation when the pastor’s profession: “The Lord is risen!” is answered by massed voices responding “The Lord is risen indeed!” I cherish childhood memories of Easter Dawn services outside of Home Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, NC where over ten thousand persons voiced those words.
Yet as moving as such collective affirmations of faith are, they are no substitute for our individual experience of relationship with God through the risen Christ. An account of an exchange between Moravian Bishop August Spangenberg and a young John Wesley during the height of a violent storm at sea on the voyage to America brings the matter into sharp focus. Spangenberg asked Wesley, “Do you know Jesus Christ?” Wesley replied, “I know he is Savior of the world.” “True,” said Spangenberg, “but do you know that he has saved you?” It is one thing to profess the Lord is risen in a crowd on Easter morning; it is quite another to profess it at home with just as much hope, joy, and faith in the midst of this present storm. Yet that is the challenge – and the gift – of these times. Alone or in small family groups we have the time to ponder what we really believe and to make it our own.
It is worth remembering that according to the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene was alone when the miracle of the Resurrection was revealed to her. Though she testified to the other disciples regarding what she had seen, they had to go and see for themselves. Though we traditionally celebrate Easter together, the truth at its heart must be discovered and owned by each of us individually. That truth – that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness shall not overcome it; that the power of death, sin, and separation has been broken by God; that hope shall prevail over despair – is not diminished by our inability to gather together. Rather it becomes all the more necessary and compelling.
As I write, the flowers spring from the ground, the trees bud and bloom, and life in the natural world goes on. So too, Easter will come. We will celebrate the best we can on the day of Resurrection – remote from one another in body yet close in spirit and heart. Even if there is no one else to hear it, even if unuttered, I invite you to lift your heart to God on Easter morning and know that the Lord is risen indeed!
Easter Blessing to You All,
Pastor Derek
Claiming the Resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus Christ lies at the heart of Christian faith. According to the Apostle Paul, it was through God’s act of raising Jesus from the dead that God definitively identified Jesus as God’s Son and thus conferred the ultimate stamp of divine approval on Christ’s ministry and message. As Jesus’ followers, we share in the promise of the resurrection and eternal life. The blessings of resurrection are not restricted to the existence after death. God raised Christ from the dead so that our present lives might also be transformed and renewed. To embrace resurrection is to live a life of faith, open to new challenges of discipleship which God places before us.
Resurrection of Christ (Raphael)
As a community of faith, it is important that we are accountable both to and for each other. Writing to the congregation in Thessaloniki, Greece, the Apostle Paul advises believers: “Therefore, encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. … admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.” (Thess. 5:11, 14-19) This Spring at East Hills Moravian Church, we will be looking for ways to put the Apostle’s timeless advice into practice as we seek to grow into the promise of vibrant new life heralded by the resurrection of Jesus Christ on that first Easter morning.
“The Lord is risen.” “The Lord is risen indeed.”
Welcoming More Light Into Our Lives
“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.” – Jesus (John 9:4}
In our own time, having light on demand at the flick of a switch is the expectation rather than the exception. However, for most of humanity’s existence, seasonal availability of light had a profound impact on activity and quality of life. The lengthening of days in early spring was something to be anticipated and celebrated. It is the origin of both an early English name for Spring, /encten, and the church season of Lent.
This year, as you prepare for Lent, I encourage you to consider new ways to welcome Christ’s light into your life.
We often associate Lent with rituals of self-denial such as fasting. That is especially true here in Eastern Pennsylvania where fasnachts, originally made to empty the pantry of sugars and fats forbidden during Lenten fasts, still are a favorite annual offering. A Biblical basis for this traditional Lenten practice is found in the story of Jesus fasting for forty days in the wilderness while being tempted by Satan. (See Mark 1 :12-13} .
Over the centuries, countless persons have deepened their relationship with Christ through these means. Yet any practice or discipline which draws you closer to God can be a means of Lenten spiritual enlightenment. For instance, you might …
- make a commitment to do one intentional act of kindness for each of Lent’s forty days,
- vow to spend 10 minutes in prayer each morning before work, at lunch, or in the evening before going to sleep,
- commit to setting aside change to give to the church or other charitable cause,
- vow not to make insensitive, cruel, or judgmental comments about persons during the days of Lent, or
- take a step of faith and volunteer for a church activity or mission
Whatever you do, be aware that spiritual enlightenment is much more like the natural, gradual increase of daylight minute by minute each day than it is the sudden flood of artificial light which comes at the flick of a switch. Patience is not only a virtue; it is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Order Flowers for Easter Sunday
In 2019, Lent begins on Wednesday, March 6 and concludes on Easter Sunday, April 21. As always, we offer you the opportunity to contribute to the beautification of the East Hills Moravian Church sanctuary for our services on Easter morning by ordering Easter flowers: tulips, lilies, or daffodils.
Please download the order form here. Deadline to order flowers is March 31.
You can take your flowers home after the last Easter morning service and plant the bulbs in your garden where you can enjoy them for years.
Order Your Daffodils, Lilies and Tulips for Easter 2017
It’s time to order tulips, daffodils and lilies to decorate the East Hills Moravian Church sanctuary for Easter morning.
Order them In memory of a loved one, in honor of a loved one or special event, or for blessings received.
You may take your flowers home after the last service Easter morning. Plant them in your garden where they’ll bloom for many years!
Deadline to place your order is March 26, 2017.
Please use the Easter Flowers order form here
.