“When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’” Mark 16:1-3
The question on the mind of the women that first Easter morning was, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” As one preacher puts it, it’s one thing to get up. It’s another thing to get out.
The problem was—they were scared.
And they’re not the only ones. Often, we’re scared of life! There’re plenty of reasons to be afraid in the world, especially these days. Are we beating COVID yet? Will enough people get the vaccine? Are we—and our neighbors—doing what we need to do to stay safe? Believers like us—who play it safe—still want to leave at least some of our fears behind. We don’t want to be ruled day in and day out by our insecurities and apprehensions. We seek inner peace, and we yearn to experience the joy of Easter every day, even in a pandemic; especially in a pandemic. The only question is how to accomplish it.
Back in the ‘80s, when I was a brand new lawyer representing my client at court for the first time, I was very inexperienced and everybody knew it. Sure, I’d prepared my case, but then we resolved it, and opposing counsel asked me to prepare the settlement documents, right there and then, in my own handwriting! I had to sneak out of the room and ask an older, kindly attorney what to do. It was embarrassing. It took me years to get over my stage fright in front of a judge. Why? I knew all too well what I didn’t know, and I felt like a fraud.
Some of us live our lives as if we’re scared of life. We lose our authentic, good selves. We go where we shouldn’t go, and do what we shouldn’t do, and we’re not prepared for the consequences. We know we need God in our lives to help us find our way, but we don’t know how to start on the right path. Can anybody relate here?!
Which is where our website comes in. In this issue of the Circuit Rider newsletter we’re pleased to offer you a preview of our newly designed church website. It’s what they call a soft (i.e. still being developed,) opening designed to coincide with Holy Week and Easter Sunday. We’ve worked over the past several months to streamline and update our website photos, text and usability. We were gifted with the guidance of Heather Olah of DesignOlah. She helped us to discern how best to tell the world who we are as a congregation. Check it out here!
Like the women at the tomb, we know it’s one thing to get up. It’s another thing to get out.
Currently, our church is not officially open to the public, although we’re in the process of getting ready to do so on a limited basis. As you might guess, our highest concern is the safety of everyone who walks in our doors. But in the meantime, we are doing the work of the church and focusing on where God is calling us. We not only want to get up, we want to get out!
Like the women at the tomb, we pray we not only get up, but get out! See you there.
In Jesus’ name,
Pastora Robin
