The First Baptist Church of Redlands
T A PE S T R Y
May 2019
Wo v e n To g e t h e r I n L o v e : C o l o s s i a n s 2 : 2
R e s u r re c t i o n A Message from Pastor Shawn
Issue No. 5
On Monday, April 15, I turned on my radio station to hear that Notre Dame was on fire. I gasped and said, “Oh no!” Throughout the day I checked back to the news online and listened on the radio to find out more: Was the fire out yet? How much damage? Would anything be saved? I was not alone. People have been talking about their reaction to the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral since we heard of the disaster. When I step back, it is a little hard to explain. I have never been to Notre Dame and I will confess that it wasn’t on my top-ten list of places to visit. There have been so many other disasters, even in the last year, where people have died and others have lost everything. Some will never be able to go home again and some face an uncertain future, in some cases fearing for their lives. And yet, we all felt the shock and the sense of loss of this place that holds so much history and spiritual connection for so many over 8 centuries. We can’t come close to understanding how the people of France feel as they watched this beloved landmark burn. As the fire was put out and we were able to see what was left, there was a sense of joy at the sight of what remained and was not destroyed—even surprise and amazement. The president of France has promised that Notre Dame Cathedral will be rebuilt and several wealthy people have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to support the restoration of this great historical monument. It will be a resurrection out of the ashes that will add to the story of the great Notre Dame Cathedral that will continue to touch the lives of people. Every year we celebrate on Easter the resurrection of Jesus. We do it with grand worship services, all of the preparation and anticipation of Lent and Holy Week, flowers, family celebrations, new clothes, etc. Hopefully, we are renewed in our understanding of the awesome reality of the risen Christ and the impact of the Resurrection on our lives and on the world. Even if they rebuild Notre Dame to its original physical beauty and it lasts another 800 years, it will not have the impact that the Resurrection of Christ has and will have on the world and, in particular, our lives. And yet, the purpose for which Notre Dame was built was to point to and connect people with that risen Christ. As we continue in the season of Eastertide and beyond, may we reflect and be renewed by the reality of the Resurrection. May we be filled with hope and power to live as people who know that death has been defeated by Christ. May we be empowered by that Resurrection in the days that we experience loss and on the days that we can serve others who find themselves in the ashes of despair. May we live in such a way that a new generation will be impacted by the Resurrection of Christ by God’s Spirit at work through us. In Christ, Pastor Shawn