THE WEIRS TIMES, Thursday, April 15, 2010
METHODIST CHURCH, WEIRS-1889
by Rev. Victoria Wood Parrish
Contributing Writer
Easter is over….The
day was beyond beautiful as the sun rose over the lake. The pink and or- ange in the sky reflected off the calm lake waters. It was reasonable warm – extremely warm for this time of year! After the outdoor sun-
rise services, people gath- ered at the Weirs church and other churches for breakfast and laughter. Then it was time for the
later indoor services. In various churches in the area, people came in their best clothes. Little girls wore fancy hats. People came who hadn’t been in church since Christmas and sat next to people who had been in church more than once a week. Everyone was welcome – friends and strangers, even flatlanders! “Christ is risen.” “He
is risen indeed.” And the singing, choirs process- ing, began. Some church had brass groups, some had bell choirs, and some had string groups. Some churches shared com- munion, and in others children were baptized. Choirs sang their favorite anthems. Babies cried, but no one minded. The scent of spring flowers filled the room. And then it was over and people went home. Or is it? Is Easter really
over? The church celebrates Easter for fifty days, un- til the Day of Pentecost. Why? Because Easter was not a one day event. Yes, Jesus became alive
again and his followers were resurrected from their fears. They contin- ued to meet together and to learn more about God and their responsibilities as God’s people. Jesus walked with them. They
Look amazing, feel even better!
COMMUNITY CHURCH MEDITATIONS
EASTER IS OVER…
were being given a new foundation in faith, so that a church could grow and teach others about new hope, love, resur- rections, and a life in the presence of God. The day would come
when they would realize that Jesus was gone and they were on their own. Yet even then, they were experiencing new resur- rections, because resur- rection doesn’t happen just to bodies – it also happens to our souls and spirits. When Jesus died, the
followers also faced death – the death of their hopes and expectations. The death caused by fear; the death of disappointment. After three years with Je- sus they thought it was all over. Peter went back to his fishing. The women waited to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Mary waited in grief. Then when Easter
came, they all realized how wrong they had been. Death could not stop the work that God had put into place. As they came back to life, their hope was relit. Their courage returned. Their faith was strengthened. And it didn’t happen all in one moment, or one
day. The process started and continued over the weeks. So we celebrate Easter for seven weeks. During those seven weeks, if we pay atten- tion and continue to walk with Christ, we will start noticing other resurrec- tions in our lives. In nature, we see res-
urrections as bulbs send shoots up. They remind us that what appears dead still contains life, and even when we are dead there is a form of life that continues. Also in nature, the
lambs and other baby animals are born. This is a safe time between the winter cold and the summer heat. They re- mind us that life comes from life, just as a child comes from parents, and our lives will continue in ways we cannot antici- pate. When we continue to
walk with Christ, we start sorting out the good from the bad in our lives. We are renewed and are free to do more of what we were created to do. Some people will give up old bad habits and others will develop new ones. This reminds us that we do have a measure of
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control in our lives, and while we cannot control everything, we are able to control many things. Is Easter over? Not at
all! It is up to us to see it and participate in it. New life is offered and ac- cepted, and we are born again.
Rev. Victoria Wood Par-
rish is the pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Gilford, NH, located on Route 11-A. It is a congregation of open
hearts, open minds, and open doors. We invite you to worship with us on Sundays 10:30 AM. Children’s activities and nursery are avai lable during morning worship. We also invite you to the United Methodist Church in the Weirs, 35 Tower St., which worships at 10:00 AM. There are also many other local congregations who would welcome you to worship.
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