Dear friends,
What a beautiful Easter service we had this past Sunday. There was a packed house, as we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, welcomed Cliff Boldt, Jacobi Ewing, and Mitchell Schut through baptism into the Body of Christ, and Virginia East as a member of the congregation through transfer.
Well it’s now a few days after Easter. The shouts of hallelujah have died down, and the children are finally starting to recover from their candy hangovers. Easter’s come and gone another year.
One of the beautiful things about the Christian tradition, however, is the idea that Easter is an ever-present reality. The Easter season extends way beyond one day—50 days, actually. And every Sunday is meant to be a “little Easter” where we celebrate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
With that in mind this Sunday we’ll be starting a sermon series “Surprise!” on finding God in the most unexpected people and places in a journey through the book of Acts. Acts tells the story of the early church that formed following Jesus’ resurrection. Here the resurrection sets off a host of unexpected events and changes in Jesus’ followers, pushing them in new and radically different directions. If we believe that God is not just the Creator of the world long ago who occasionally intervenes, but a present power that is constantly at work creating, redeeming and sustaining at every moment, it means that reality as we know it isn’t closed or fixed. The risen Christ works through all sorts of surprising people and in surprising ways that bear witness to God’s life and newness for all. Even us.
I hope you'll join us this Sunday and the rest of this Easter season as we learn the spiritual habit of welcoming an unpredictable God and coming to expect the unexpected.
Grace & peace,
The Rev. Ryan Slifka
Lead Pastor
P.S. from Rev. Ingrid in Seattle!
Hello friends,
I'm on study leave this week, attending the Inhabit Conference in Seattle, connecting with other faith leaders who are reaching beyond denominational boundaries to share about living out our discipleship in the neighbourhood. I am here gaining new ideas and best practices to serve both St George's & Weird Church.
One of the places of learning I will be leaning into are community based dinner churches, the first of which will be held Friday May 3. Please see the info below and register to attend!
Many blessings on this little Easter Sunday without me.
- Ingrid