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On Easter Sunday we welcomed old and new friends as we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the coming weeks - the Easter season on the church calendar - is a time to reflect on what the glorious news of Easter means for us today. For the first followers of Jesus, the empty tomb caused fear, but when they encountered the resurrected, living Christ, all fear and doubt was transformed to ecstatic joy. May we, too, be transformed this Easter season - becoming new beings through Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). As a congregation, one of the "new" things we did was worship with the Casa de Fe congregation on March 30 in Fuller Hall of the Parish House. This Hispanic congregation has been sharing space with us for nine years. They started by worshiping in the small Ireland Chapel in the church building with plans to only stay for about a year, until they could find a place of their own. As time progressed, they asked about the use of Fuller Hall, which they have redecorated and use as their worship space each week. While the issues that often divide individuals and congregations (e.g. language, culture, and worship and music styles) were evident, they did not prohibit us from praising God, celebrating Jesus Christ and seeking the Holy Spirit through song, prayer and spoken Word. This would also be true if we were to worship with CB' Shalom, the Brazilian congregation that uses the church building three nights per week for their activities. Christ came to abolish the barriers that tend to separate us. Division was evident even in the early church, where those who came to faith in Jesus Christ through Judaism believed that was the only route. The Apostle Paul in addressing this and other barriers that were dividing the early congregation wrote: "You are all children of God by believing in Christ Jesus. ... There is no Jew or Greek. There is no slave or free person. There is no male or female. Because you belong to Christ Jesus, you are all one" (Galatians 3:26, 28 NIRV). This does not mean that we will suddenly start worshiping in Spanish, Portuguese, or some other language other than English. But we do need to look for ways to share and celebrate our common faith in Jesus Christ. This may be a "new" endeavor for some, but this is what the Church of Jesus Christ is all about - one faith, one baptism, and one Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ. Happy Easter season! May your faith be refreshed and renewed.
Pastor Martha Dominy |
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