As we begin the month of April, new life is emerging all around us. Our physical world is teeming with new signs of life. Tree leaves. Flowers. Birdsong. Buzzing bees. Given that Easter falls a little later this year we see even more outer signs signaling an inner transformation that is already taking place. The lectionary readings for the first week of April speak of a God who up to something new. In Pastor as Minor Poet, M. Craig Barnes writes that “God is always present, but not always apparent.” As we lean into these Lenten readings, I hope the God of Easter becomes increasingly apparent.
“I am about to do a new thing” Isaiah 43:18
In addition to the spring season, the church house has been a busy hub of all things new. Workers have been in and out of the building adding carpet and flooring on the first floor. They have also added fresh coats of paint that really make the space new. Though renovations have a way of improving the surface of things, they are more than superficial. The “new” space welcomes people into a place where they can encounter the bold and boundless love of God and participate in the beloved community that God is always at work renewing—within and without.
“May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.” Psalm 126:5
Many within our church have been reading the book A Different Kind of Fast by Christine Valters Paintner during Lent. This week’s reading encourages us to fast from “holding it all together” and to embrace tenderness and vulnerability. The author sees holy tears as a way to the heart. In our world there is much to lament and mourn. Though often overlooked, our faith tradition offers weeping as a way to the divine. Jesus himself wept when others were weeping. In a culture that glorifies superficial power and strength, Jesus offers a countercultural way of tenderness that leads to true liberation.
“I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14
Earlier this year our mission partner World Relief was affected by executive orders that have effectively eliminated all refugee and asylum seekers to the United States. Additionally, their funding was severed which has affected their ministry to legal refugees and asylum seekers within our community. Our Missions Committee has taken this heavenly call to care for the vulnerable to heart. We have committed to listening to the stories of immigrants within First on Fifth and in our city. This Sunday, April 6 at 6pm all are invited to learn more from immigration attorney Helen Parsonage in the Baraca Room. We are also collecting diapers (sizes 3, 4, 5 and 6) to be distributed by Una Benedición to support immigrant families in our community.
“The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John 12:3b
This Sunday in worship we will focus on Mary anointing Jesus with costly perfume. It’s a wonderful, lively text caught in between two resurrection stories—Jesus raising Lazarus and God raising Jesus—and speaks to the uncontainable joy of new life. Joy is so surprising that we may want to contain it. The text reminds us that joy is an act of resistance. Mary’s resurrection faith invites us to move beyond caution—ruled by scarcity or bean counting or fear—and to embrace the God who makes all things new.
Like tender shoots emerging from the ground in spring, these texts remind us that God is about to do a new thing. Look around. What signs of new life do you see?
-Pastor Kyle