Dear Friends in Christ,

Happy Easter! The weather is warmer, Christ is risen!

Easter is a 50-day feast when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection as well as our rebirth into a life with Him. After the contemplative season of Lent, when we pondered our own mortality, we celebrate life anew!

During Easter we celebrate with joy Jesus’ presence in our lives. How do we do this when we are in such turmoil? It can be difficult to find God in such fraught times, but our mission is to see God in the world and spread the story of Jesus’ LOVE to all the world.

As we give thanks for God and for all of God’s gifts, we should also think about the good works we can do in God’s name. Where is God calling you to serve? How can you let the Holy Spirit guide you in your life? The waiting time is over; the time to act is now.

I have a reflection to share which is wonderful to ponder for Lent and Easter. (I shared it last year as well.) It comes from Desmond Tutu’s book “An African Prayer Book.” This is a collection of spiritual writings from all over the African continent, as well as the African Diaspora.

Make Us Instruments of Your Faith
For your blessing we thank you God: faith in you.
Increase it, we beg, so that we no longer doubt.
Drive out all our miserliness, so that we do not refuse you anything.
Increase our faith, for the sake of those with only a little.
Fill our bodies with faith, our bodies that work for you all our days.
Help us to avoid the enemies of our faith, or to overcome them.
You are with us in confrontations; this we believe.
In your hands we place ourselves and are secure.
Make haste to enter our hearts; make haste.
~ Masai, Tanzania ~

Blessings,

Mo. Lauren

The Rev. Lauren T. McLeavey
Rector

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