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Living an Easter Life |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 3/26/2008 3:31 PM | Greetings on this gorgeous spring day!
Yesterday, I had the privilege of going to a presentation by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author/poet, Alice Walker. She is most famous for having written the novel “The Color Purple”, but has also written 20 some other books of poetry and essays, as well as several other novels such as “The Temple of My Familiar.” It was a fascinating time of hearing an author read selections from her own work, in her own voice, interspersed with commentary and reflections upon 50 years of the writing life.
All of the selections she read evoked amazing images in my mind, and I was absolutely enthralled with Ms. Walker’s ability to make the written word come alive, to sing, to touch hundreds of people at once. One of the readings in particular really hit me. The story was one of her role in a protest march and the importance of activism on all levels. She described her feelings at being in the midst of these people as they stood up for what they believed in, were arrested, spent several hours in a Washington D.C. holding cell and were ultimately bailed out. She wrote that she had been arrested before but this time was fundamentally different in that she was overwhelmed at the feeling of the possibility that their shared voices and stories might indeed make a difference. They were empowered because rather than wait for someone else to act, they had taken the bull by the horns and taken action. The final line of the essay? “We are the people we have been waiting for.”
What a wonderful statement of faith! There is no doubt in my mind that this should be the watchword for the church in the 21st century. I say “should be” because it will only be true when the church takes to heart what happened on Easter those 2000 years ago. And we must take the glory of the resurrection to heart because with that as our guide, it is abundantly clear that we have nothing to fear.
In so many ways and in so many times, fear holds us back. Fear holds us back from speaking out when we see something happening that is antithetical to our faith practices. Fear holds us back from talking to others about our faith. Fear holds us back from stepping out in faith when it comes to making big decisions. Fear holds us back from risking the comfort of our present existence to stand up for what we believe God would have us do.
Make no mistake: it is not always easy to live out our faith. But in the shadow of the cross, at the entrance of the empty tomb, in the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, what can we possibly fear? If we live in a world that seems to be slipping further and further away from God’s purposes, if we recognize that society seems less and less inclined to follow God’s precepts, if we see more and more people who seem rootless and adrift, people who could benefit from the Good News of God’s grace revealed in Jesus Christ, what are we waiting for? Who better to set an example for a hurting world than those of us who understand the importance of the life affirming power of Easter? Easter is a time of wonder and celebration. But what is holding us back from carrying the joy of Easter into a world that needs the power of resurrection more today than at any time in history?
We don’t need to wait any longer. As Alice Walker so beautifully wrote, “We are the people we have been waiting for.”
For an updated prayer list and a list of upcoming activities, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org
Announcements
The Narthex of the church is getting fuller and fuller with the wonderful treasures for this Saturday’s Flea Market and Bake Sale (from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) to benefit the beautification of our church property through the Garden Club. You can still help in a number of ways: first, you can bring your donated treasures to the church anytime during business hours between now and the sale on Saturday. Second, you can volunteer to help out at the sale by getting in touch with Daonne Caldwell at daonne@bellsouth.net Third, you can bring a tasty treat on Saturday to sell at the bake sale. Fourth, you can tell your friends and neighbors about the event. Finally, you can come and buy something! There are books, clothes, furniture, dishware, T.V.’s, you name it…it will be for sale! You can also pick up some lunch as hot dogs and the like will be for sale.
If you haven’t yet made your pledge to the one year Debt Reduction Campaign, please do it today! Attached to this message you will find a pledge card. You can e-mail it to judy@brookhavenchristian.org or mmclaughlin@ipinvestmentsgroup.com or you can print it out and put it in the offering plate this Sunday. It is important that we close off this campaign so we can assess our success and plans can be made concerning our debt payments, so please, make your pledge by this Sunday. Your pledge will help put us over the top! Thanks!
I hope to see you all this Sunday as we celebrate the Lord’s Day together once again. The sermon this week is titled “Can You Believe It?” and the scripture is Luke 24:13-35. Have a great rest of the week!
Be peaceful,
Brad
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