Embracing Our Calling: Living the Resurrection
Dear First Pres SLO Family,
Grace and peace to you in the name of the Risen Christ, the one who came and lived and loved and taught and healed and died and rose again. Happy Easter!
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!
We’re in the afterglow of the Easter celebration. We made it through 40+ days of Lent, a time of reflection and repentance as we prepared to experience the resurrection all over again. It’s been quite a journey.
And so we come to the post-Easter fog, right? We work our way up to the empty tomb, and often we’re left with a feeling of…now what? Some of you (and you know who you are) are asking the practical questions. What does this mean? What am I supposed to do about all of this? What now?
Happily, this is a question that has been asked before—literally, after every Easter since the first one. You’ve heard me quote Christopher Wright when he says: “God did not create a mission for the church, he created the church to accomplish his mission.” Our own Book of Order (yes, THAT Book of Order) gets at this question on the very first page.
The mission of God in Christ gives shape and substance to the life and work of the Church. In Christ, the Church participates in God's mission for the transformation of creation and humanity by proclaiming to all people the good news of God's love, offering to all people the grace of God at font and table, and calling all people to discipleship in Christ. Human beings have no higher goal in life than to glorify and enjoy God now and forever, living in covenant relationship with God and participating in God's mission.
Wow. Into the lull after our celebrations, we see a list of marching orders that guide our lives and the life of this church, not only for a few days or weeks after Easter, but for the rest of our lives.
· We participate in the transformation of creation and humanity by proclaiming the good news of God’s love.
· We offer grace to all people in Baptism and Communion.
· We call people to be disciples of Jesus.
All of this is our privilege and purpose—to glorify God and enjoy God forever, and to live into our covenant relationship with the one who made us, redeemed us, and loves us still.
This is what we’re meant to do; this is who we’re called to be. And what a calling it is!
Let me invite you, as we say clean up from our egg hunts and say goodbye to visitors—let me invite you to pray and think about what God is calling you to do because of the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus. If you have questions or ideas, let me invite you to share them with me—email me or call me and let me in on what you’re thinking about how to accomplish God’s mission as the church on the corner of Marsh and Morro.
Easter is a time to bring life back into dead or dying places. Where will you bring that life this year? I can’t wait to find out.
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!
Blessings to you, and Happy Easter!
Pastor John