After the Tomb . . .

Contrary to popular belief, Jesus' resurrection from the tomb did not end the speculation about who He was. In fact, the Gospels themselves make clear that the disciples were not at all certain what to make of the story of Jesus' resurrection. Many doubted. Some just were not sure and awaited further proof of His resurrection. It was with this attitude of uncertainty that the disciples received Jesus' instructions to journey ahead to Galilee to meet Him.

With the benefit of over 2000 years of tradition and hindsight, most of us THINK we have a pretty good idea of who Jesus is. But for the next few weeks, I am going to ask you to try to put yourselves in the places of the disciples -- confused, surprised, even frightened. Let us rejoice in the news of Jesus' resurrection, but not be afraid to approach the risen Savior with fresh eyes: What does he say to His disciples over these next few weeks? Where does he appear to them, and what is their response?What is there that we can discover new about Jesus in these next few weeks?

Alleluia, Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!

Faithfully, Don+

Easter People Seeking Things Above

Holy Week 2008
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is. . . Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. . . Colossians 3:1

During these past weeks of Lent we hopefully have taken some time to focus attention on our own sinfulness – the ways in which we ourselves place roadblocks to our relationship with God. Now during this Holy Week, we are called to walk along with Jesus as he personally eats the bitter fruit of the world’s sin: Persecution, arrest, trial, torture, ridicule and death on the cross. And then, as this observance culminates in the great feast of Easter, we will rejoice in Christ’s resurrection and ultimate triumph over sin and death.

It is one of the ironies of our Christian faith that we live with one foot in the eternal and one in the present. It can be no other way: Jesus, the God-Man, is God’s answer to a world that has always struggled to apply Kingdom values to the human situation. As followers of Jesus, then, our Christian journey involves a lifelong search for ways to apply those Kingdom values, made human in Jesus Christ, to the way we live our daily lives. So Paul’s words that we will hear on Easter morning are no invitation to keep our heads in the clouds and walk away from the world – that is not the Christian way. Paul does call us to set our hearts and minds on those “things that are above” – those eternal values that we see in Jesus’ life, and to apply them to our lives in a world that seems to mock those values.

Are you looking for the real meaning of Easter? God continues to reveal that to us each day. I hope you will join us for our Holy Week and Easter services to hear God’s Eternal Word proclaimed, to give thanks for Jesus’ gift of life, and to be fed spiritually at God’s table. Join brothers and sisters in Christ to celebrate our common life together as Easter People – people redeemed, renewed, and committed to reflect Jesus’ presence in this changing and troubled world. I hope to greet you this weekend!

Faithfully in Christ,
Don+

Welcome to Fr. Don's Blog

As we continue to build our new website at Trinity Episcopal Church, it is our hope that it will be not only a source of information about what's going on at Trinity, but also a place where we can explore together issues of faith as they apply to our modern world. It is for that reason that I have set up this inter-active blog in order to share my reflections and to allow you to join the conversation as well. I will periodically contribute to this as the spirit moves and hope you will feel moved to do the same. As we quickly approach Holy Week, I hope that you have had the opportunity to experience a prayerful Lent. If you have not, I'm sure that you have a lot of good company. It is not too late to begin taking time out of your busy schedule to set aside some moments for peaceful time with God. Perhaps it is just listening to silence, or telling God that you really do WANT to be in closer relationship even that sometimes seems hard. You can also plan on joining us for worship as we observe the beginning of Holy Week this Palm Sunday with our services at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. We will celebrate the Holy Eucharist Monday through Thursday mornings next week at 7 a.m. in the Chapel, and at 12:10 p.m. in the Chapel on Wednesday. Please check out the schedule for our Good Friday and Holy Week evening services on our website at www.trinityhartford.org. Faithfully in Christ, Don+