Pastor Dan - April 2019

 Last Friday, on my day off, I was sitting on the patio in the morning. I had moved one of the patio chairs to sit out in the sun. It was a windy day and one of those “Action” days according to one of the weather persons on TV. It was partly cloudy and as I sat stationary, the clouds above were moving rapidly and I was going in and out of sunshine. I could see on the ground ahead of me the shadow of the cloud approach and then it would wash over me taking the sunlight away. But I knew, if I was patient, the cloud would pass and the warmth of the glorious sun would once again begin to warm me to my core. As I was drinking my coffee, this sun/cloud game reminded me of an event from my youth.

 I spent the summer following my High School graduation with a friend in Hawaii. He had family there and we stayed with his family on the west side of Oahu. There was a famous surf spot about two miles down the road. One day, we were heading home from a morning of surfing this spot when a storm came over the mountains. We could see it approaching from behind us. We were in sunshine and there was a curtain of water and darkness slowly catching up to us. We spent the next mile and half trying to stay in the sunshine until we just gave up and watched the sun disappear ahead of us as we were overcome by the rain and darkness.

 As I sat drinking my coffee, in and out of the sun, I realized that following my Hawaiian” experience, I spent the next 10 years running in and out of the Son. At times, it would seem that I was trying to catch up to Jesus, or I was just hiding in the dark and rain avoiding Jesus. As my faith journey continued, I slowly began to realize that Jesus was in the dark and the rain as well as being the warmth of our soul in His light and grace. Actually, it seem that the light and grace experienced in the rain and darkness revealed the true power and nature of the Savior.

 Mount Zion offers Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services that we may share in the understanding that even as the darkness continues to catch us and wash over us throughout our days, Christ is in the darkness with us. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are vivid experiences to remind us. We enter into the darkness of Christ’s passion and just when we think the darkness is victorious and the warmth of God’s Light will never shine in the world again, we experience Easter and resurrection: a new life and a new hope. This new life and new hope is lived in the knowledge that there is nothing in this realm of time and space which will be able to keep us from the eternal warmth of God’s love and grace for us.

 This new life, new hope and new way of covenant living with God, forged by God’s own Son is expressed quite clearly in the call and response of…

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

In Christ’s love and service,

Pastor Dan