| Almighty Father, who gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise for our justification: Give us grace so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. |
Dear Friends, We began this week with the principal celebration of the Christian year, proclaiming together: “Christ is risen, indeed!” Life is the final word, good and lasting life! What a bold, courageous, and revolutionary truth to make known in a world and a time wherein the language du jour is given to violence, domination and death. We saw that contrast come into view on Monday morning, with powers and principalities, hungry for control, grasping with threats of war and annihilation. The President’s threats to destroy Iran’s bridges and energy infrastructure were followed on Tuesday with a doomsday prediction that “a civilization will die tonight.” I am thankful that those threats were not carried out on Tuesday. And I am also mindful that a ceasefire, however thin and tenuous, is no basis for lasting peace. Nevertheless: Christ is risen, indeed. And we are members of the risen body of Christ in this world. We are called to announce and enact the witness to resurrection life in a world that is so afraid of death. This means announcing the values and the vision at the heart of who we are: loving and honoring the dignity of every human being, and giving ourselves to the joy and flourishing of every sibling. We do this by electing and demanding of representatives to enact legislation that honors and protects those deemed least and last. We do this in our public witness and solidarity with neighbors, in protest of unjust and harmful government abuses. We do it with our voices, with our bodies, with our commitments. We do it by lifting up those cast down, amplifying the voices of those drowned out, shining light on those growing invisible, and celebrating the preciousness of every human being. During this Easter season, I am praying that we will proclaim with faith and joy the power of resurrection in this world infatuated with death. That we will do this with everything we’ve got—taking every opportunity that comes to us, and refusing to cede the realm of God to those bent on taking God’s name in vain. With you in witness, Scott + The Rev. R. Scott Painter Rector |
