Pastor's Easter Letter 2014

"He is not Here: For He is risen." -Matthew 28:6

Do you know those types who always walk around with a tune in their head, singing it for everyone to hear? That's not my daughter Emily. If she's got a tune in her head, she's not sharing it with me. Emily loves animals, she loves riding horses, but she doesn't seem to love singing. She didn't even sing Happy Birthday to me on my 50th birthday. So imagine my surprise when Emily joined Shrek, the Rye Neck musical, singing and dancing up on stage. If she had any stage fright you wouldn't have known it. You could see her filled with joy as she danced and sang with Shrek and her friends.

In the Gospel of Matthew we read how an angel appeared to the women at the tomb early that first Easter morning. The angel explained to them that Jesus was not there because he had been raised from the dead, just as he said! Matthew tells us that the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy.

That's what the resurrection does. It takes our fear, our worry, our hurt, our sadness...and it puts it all into perspective.

The fact that Jesus is risen from the dead, that he was victorious over death and sin, is reason to celebrate. It's that fact that gives us joy despite our circumstances and through whatever we may face. What happened on that first Easter day still brings us joy and it still changes lives today.

I hope you will join us on Easter Sunday to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, that you will be filled with joy no matter what your circumstances, no matter what you face. Rejoice and sing as we celebrate how Jesus still changes lives today.

In Christ,

Pastor Tom