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From the Pastor’s Study
Spring is right around the corner – finally! Are you excited? I know that I am happy, knowing that we will soon hear the sweet sounds of the robins in the
trees. The temperatures will soon be warm enough that our winter coats can be
sent out for cleaning and packed away to wait for another season. I love the
smell of freshly cut grass and gentle spring rainstorms, so I can hardly wait to
hear the sounds of lawnmowers or the rumbles of thunder. And I am looking
forward to seeing those lovely hints of green poking up out of the ground as
daffodils and crocuses begin to grow!
Of course, with the coming of spring come Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and Easter
Sunday. These special days in our Church Year are, perhaps, the most important
of all the Christian holidays that we celebrate. From Palm Sunday to Easter, we
are invited to explore, ponder, enter into, and celebrate the heart of the
Christian story and Christian faith. Through our scriptures and corporate
worship, we are reminded of the amazing, sacrificial, unconditional love of God
that is demonstrated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus – the one we
call the Christ. Indeed, we are reminded that we are called to be an “Easter
people”. We are called to be people who are marked by the promise of new life
that we realize in the resurrection of Christ.
I have noticed over the years that most people want to hurry up and get from
Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday as soon as they can. It seems that many of us
want to do whatever we can to skip all of the difficult, weighty “stuff” of
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. We don’t like to face the
rejection and betrayal that Jesus faced. We want to turn away from the pain
and horror of the crucifixion. We don’t like thinking about the emptiness and
fear that the disciples must have felt on that day following the death of their
friend and teacher.
But we need to remember that Easter Sunday wasn’t possible without all of that.
There would not have been eye-opening communion experiences without there
being a “last supper” with the disciples. There would not have been an empty
tomb without there being a crucified body to bury. There would not have been
communities of faith who proclaim the joy of the risen Lord without there being
a small community of believers who gathered to mourn the death of the one they
followed. When we try to skip over all the “stuff” of Holy Week – all of the
events that make us confront pain, sorrow, fear, and death – we end up missing
out on the deeper meaning and importance of the events of Easter.
Jesus said, “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and
dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit (John
12:24).” We may not always like talking about it, or thinking about it, but if we
are going to try to live as an “Easter people”, then we will need to deal with this
fact: in order for there to be resurrection, there first has to be death. This is
not only true for how we approach Holy Week and Easter, but it is also true for
how we approach life. Wherever we hope to see resurrection and new life, we
need to be able to let other things go.
As we, the “Easter people” of the First Presbyterian Church of Washingtonville
face the many new possibilities and opportunities for new life in this community,
there will be things of which we will need to let go. But as an “Easter people”,
we can move with confidence into this new future, knowing that our Resurrected
Lord goes with us to strengthen and encourage us on our way.
Peace and Joy,
Pastor Amy
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