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Dearly Beloved in Christ,
When the women told the disciples that they had seen the risen Lord the disciples considered it an "idle tale." When the disciples told Thomas they had seen the risen Lord he said he wouldn't believe until he could touch Jesus' wounds. In his article in the Wall Street Journal, George Weigel wrote: "One of the most striking things about the New Testament accounts of Easter, and what followed in the days immediately after Easter, is that the Gospel writers and editors carefully preserved the memory of the first Christians’ bafflement, skepticism and even fright about what had happened to their former teacher."
Even though Jesus had told them he would be raised on the third day, they just had no frame of reference because no one had been resurrected before - and no one has since! We have to be very careful with language here. The term “resurrection” can only be used to describe what happened to Jesus on that first Easter morning. Lazarus was not resurrected, the 12-year-old daughter of the synagogue leader was not resurrected. They were dead, but they were not "raised from the dead" as Jesus was, they were brought back to life by Jesus, but it was not resurrected life, it was the same kind of life that they had, and they would eventually die.
Only one person has been resurrected. Only one person has received resurrection life, a bodily life that will never end. And that person is Jesus. Although, that bodily resurrection life is promised to all who believe in him. He is the first fruits, the promise of what we will all receive who believe in him and who have been baptized into his death and resurrection. But that will only happen at the end of the age, when Jesus returns and there is a new heaven and a new earth. We don’t receive resurrected bodies when we die. We are with the Lord when we die. We have eternal life now through baptism. But resurrected bodies will only be ours when the Lord returns.
What began in confusion, skepticism, fear and incomprehension became the irreducible bottom line of faith for these followers of Jesus. Again in the words of George Weigel, this was the "Easter Effect" that caused the spread of Christianity from its Palestinian backwater roots: "The first Christians became convinced that 'Jesus of Nazareth was raised bodily to a new sort of life, three days after his execution' Even though those first Christians, like Christians today, cannot fully comprehend resurrected life: the life depicted in the Gospels of a transphysical body that can eat, drink, and be touched but that also appears and disappears, unbothered by obstacles like doors and distance.”
This "Easter Effect" had given those followers lives marked by an inexplicable joy and peace for it had erased the fear of death. This human life, until the Lord’s return, was still going to be filled with grief and anguish, suffering and death. But such was the change that the "Easter Effect" made in their lives that they wanted to share it. In fact, they could not keep from sharing it.
What has been the "Easter Effect" on us? Are we a people of joy convinced of something inexplicable and yet true? Something that gives new meaning to life, and that has eradicated the fear of death. Something that will change us and change the world? Remember the words of the Lord: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
Rejoicing with you in what resurrection meant then and still means today!
Rev'd Sarah+
Link to the article in the WSJ by George Weigel
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VESTRY NOTES
REV'D SARAH'S LAST SUNDAY - APRIL 22
The Vestry wants to make sure everyone knows we will be hosting a farewell luncheon for Rev’d Sarah in the Parish Hall following her last service on April, 22nd.
Also, we are creating a Memory Book for Rev’d Sarah on Shutterfly and desperately need you to share your photos to make the book even more special. Over the years I know we all have photos of Rev’d Sarah, so please sort through them and share them with us. Email photos to Catherine@thedaveyfamily.net along with any explanation about the photo.
FR. CAMERON CALLED AS THE NEXT RECTOR
Rev. Sarah announced her retirement to the Vestry at our February meeting and to the congregation the following Sunday. After expressing our shock and surprise, as did the rest of you when you learned the news, we learned that our next step was to meet with the Canon of the Ordinary, The Reverend Canon Tim Nunez, who would explain the church’s process of finding a new Rector.
We met with Father Tim on February 27th. He went over the process of forming a Search Committee and creating a Parish Profile and he gave us a couple of options that would allow us to keep Father Cameron in a temporary capacity while we completed the search process. We told him we would like to keep Father Cameron as the permanent Rector. It is very unusual for that to occur so he asked us if we would follow a discernment process both for the parish and for Father Cameron. At his suggestion we met with Father Cameron to discuss the vision God had given him for the future of the parish.
We polled the congregation, and many of you wrote letters to us expressing your support for Father Cameron, and there was a strong feeling that God had placed him with us for just this purpose. So, after our meeting with Father Cameron we had a unanimous vote to proceed. I wrote, on behalf of the Vestry, to the Bishop and Father Tim the next day with our decision and the steps we had taken to get there and the Bishop approved it THE SAME DAY!
All of the papers have now been signed and consequently Father Cameron MacMillan will officially become Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Maitland on May 1, 2018.
Rev. Sarah will be sorely missed but the Vestry is excited to begin this new chapter in the life of Good Shepherd with Father Cameron’s leadership.
Susie Pelham, Senior Warden, on behalf of the Vestry.
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CHRISTIAN FORMATION CLASSES WILL RESUME ON MAY 6
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NOONDAY PRAYER SCHEDULE
Noonday Prayer will be offered in the Prayer Room on Wednesdays only. The Noonday Prayer Service booklet will be available in the narthex of Church and Chapel for people to take with them to pray the service at work or at home on other days during the week.
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ROOM CHANGE: YOUNG ADULTS NOW MEETING IN UPPER ROOM. MEN'S BIBLE STUDY NOW MEETING IN FR. CAMERON'S OFFICE
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Clergy
The Rt. Rev’d Gregory O. Brewer, Bishop of Central Florida
The Rt. Rev’d William Folwell, The Rt. Rev’d John Howe, and the Rt. Rev’d Hugo Pina-Lopez, retired Bishops
The Rev’d Sarah L. Bronos, Rector
The Rev’d Cameron MacMillan, Curate
The Rev’d Dick Costin, Deacon
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer
St. John’s Church, Kissimmee
St. Peter’s Church, Lake Mary
The Nation and Those in Authority
The President, Governors, Representatives, Congressmen and women, and the Mayors of Ocoee and Orlanda
Prayers for Healing and Other Needs
Bobbie, Troy, Debra, Yula, Hannah, Tee, Karen, Michele, Darryl, Lillian, Pete, Michael, Mary, Liz, Scott, Jennifer, Dick, Gloria, Frances, Caroline, George, Sallie, Tom, Nikki, Christine, Mildred, George, Joan, Jose, Charlotte, Sammi
Military Personnel and Families
Kate Pierce, Brigit Kincaid, and Dennis Glasgow
Our College and Seminarian Students
Karissa Ashcraft, Laura Harris, Stephen Gant, Donny Lisle, Ray Lisle, Debora Lisle, Abbei Moye, Kyra Ashcraft, Rose Thatcher, Nicole Folsom, Jim Louttit, Nina Cassady-Bolton, Gordon Sims
Our Diocesan Missionary
The Reverend Stephen and Mary Dass, and the street children of Brazil
Birthdays
Marilyn Bellonci
If you have any prayer requests please visit our website and complete the Prayer Request Form.
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