Happy Easter! Christ is risen, indeed, and we now have new life, a new beginning with hope and without fear - a new way to lead our lives. It is also my birthday today so as I enter into another year of this life I cannot help but think about how to live my life more faithfully and abundantly. Already this morning I have been out walking Bella (twice!) and I have had a rare opportunity stop and watch a pair of trumpeter swans playing in the open water on the lake near my sister's house. In fact, there were so many birds it was hard to take them all in and I again marvel at God's creations. The beautiful swans, the annoying honking Canada geese, the many varieties of ducks, all touched with the golden sunlight. What a way to begin another wonderful day in this life!
But new beginnings are never easy. Even as we plan to change the act of making changes and changing habits can be daunting. That's where our faith and our faith community come in! If we truly believe we have nothing to fear we can move ahead with less trepidation. And if it's a helping hand we need to get us on the path or keep us moving through our new journey then we have our brothers and sisters at Hope to help. A great example of that is our weight loss group. We get together to hold one another accountable, to support the ups and downs of the weight loss program, and to provide ideas that might help others get past a road block. New beginnings never have to be faced alone.
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus point to things beyond our understanding and give us hope for this life and beyond. Our faith, if we let it, can keep us calm, move us forward and accept all of the wonderful opportunities this world presents to us. It also keeps our head up and our feet moving forward even when life throws a curve and we have to face an unexpected tragedy, loss or some other problem. So I invite you to keep moving, keep praying and above all, keep the faith!
Blessings,
Pastor Laurie
