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Rev. Craig Goodrich, Senior Pastor
April brings us to the Season of Easter. Beginning with Easter Day, April 4 until the Day of Pentecost on May 23, our focus is on the implications, the drama and the joy of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In worship we will tell the stories. We will see Mary Magdalene at the tomb, her grief turned to joy as we hear her exclaim “ I have seen the Lord.” We will hear Thomas declare, “I will not believe” until he sees the marks in the hands of Jesus, only to declare upon seeing Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” We will walk with the disciples on the road to Emmaus as they encounter a stranger who becomes known to them in the breaking of the bread and, on reflection, remember their burning hearts in his presence. And we will be with Peter and the others on the beach and hear the commands of Jesus, “Feed my Sheep” and “Follow Me!” And, of course, we will talk about what all this means to you and to me. The late Eugene Peterson, a Presbyterian pastor, authored many books including one entitled “Practice Resurrection” in which he writes that as followers of Jesus we are to grow up into the “full stature of Christ,” and we do this by “practicing resurrection.” It is a phrase he borrows from writer and poet Wendell Berry. Peterson says this: “We live our lives in the practice of what we do not originate and cannot anticipate. When we practice resurrection, we continuously enter into what is more than we are. When we practice resurrection, we keep company with Jesus, alive and present, who knows where we are going better than we do, which is always “from glory unto glory.” (Practice Resurrection, page 8).
craigg@fpcnaples.org
As we enter into this Easter Season, I encourage us all, individually and together, to “practice resurrection,” to be open to the surprising presence, power and love of God in Jesus Christ. And do be sure to read this issue of The Outreach cover to cover, to see all that has happened, and all that is yet to be. And don’t miss our Staff Spotlight, this month featuring Lisa Either. Faithfully and Gratefully,
From the Pulpit April 4 Easter Sunday Rev. Craig Goodrich “On Easter Street” April 11 Rev. Craig Goodrich “Wounds that Heal” April 18 Earth Care Sunday Rev. Rex Childs April 25 Rev. Craig Goodrich “U-Turns Allowed”
