Seeing the risen Christ in our midst, here & now.

I'm a double facebooker and blogger....still trying to figure out where the line is between pastor and person.  It's a fine line as being called to serve as a parish pastor is my vocation and is my life...but that struggle to maintain some sense of me as a person and maintaining a social circle outside of the parish is a healthy part of who I am.  But here's the thing, this season (the 50 days of Easter) I feel called to share moments where I have seen the risen Christ in my midst.  The entries over the next 50 days will echo those on my Pastor blog page, but I think the content is for all...parishioners, friends and blog followers.  (I guess the disclaimer is that if you follow both blogs, they will be quite similar this season, perhaps with different color commentary along the way. (Thanks for reading and journeying with me.)

So as we enter the season of Easter...and journey in the light of the empty tomb I hope to share moments where I see the risen Christ in our midst here and now.

We are blessed to celebrate the joy of the resurrection for 50 Days!  (Pretty awesome, right? I mean, who doesn't like a 50 day celebration?)

So yesterday, on Easter Day, I was blessed to walk from the darkness of the tomb into the light of Christ as we began Easter morning worship at 6am.  With the opportunity to celebrate the joy of the resurrection at 4 services yesterday, there were many opportunities to see the risen Christ in our midst now.
The moment that sticks out for me the most was at the 9:15 service.  It was a service that had many families with young children and babies.  The youngest of our brothers and sisters in Christ were so quiet during the service, you may not have noticed their presence.  But as we made it to the intercessory prayers, then things changed.  As we prayed for those in need by name, the assembly was invited to share names in their hearts or on their lips...and that is when a murmur came from the youngest among us.  It wasn't a scream or cries, it was this murmur or hum coming from the infants when they were invited to share prayer concerns.  It was a holy moment.


Today's moment came after a funeral.  I have to tell you, it was amazing to be at a funeral on Easter Monday and to see the empty tomb and hear the words of promise in the resurrection.  At the end of the service, proclaiming the words of life eternal and death being conquered and knowing the family, I was tearing up as we prayed.  Well, as I greeted folks coming into the social hall for the dinner, Logan (a parishioner with special needs and an amazing heart) walked up to me and gave me a hug.  She saw me crying during the service and said, Pastor Jen needs a hug.  (So true.)  Seeing me in the midst of grief and mourning...and reaching out to me...a holy moment of love and grace in the midst of suffering.

The moments surround us...and I invite you to see and share the moments where you see the risen Christ in our midst here and now.

Blessings to all in this Easter season.

Until the next moment of grace . . .