From the Pastor: April 2026

Dear Friends,

Have you ever heard someone say, “It’s too bad to be true”?  Probably not.  It’s not a common saying.  And yet, we’ve all said for ourselves, all too often, “It’s too good to be true!”  Sadly, it’s human nature to seize on, remember, and believe as gospel the pain and trauma that surrounds us, and to disregard as fanciful imagination the miracles that dance on the edges of our lives, waiting to be seen and believed.  Case in point, on the morning of Jesus’ resurrection, Mary could not believe what she saw in the graveyard, and the disciples would not believe the evidence of the empty tomb.  Even after Jesus appeared to them, it took convincing.  I sometimes marvel that their first emotion is fear, not jubilation.  After all, they’d been Jesus’ companions for three years, and witnessed miracle after miracle, even other resurrections from the dead.  How could they NOT have believed?  But then, why don’t we?  If we look back over our lives, and really try hard, we can recall moment after moment of beauty, faith, miraculous transformation, and pure, unbridled joy—or perhaps even something as simple but as rare as peace and contentment.  Why, then, is it hard for us to believe in the Good around us rather than the Darkness?  Because the good times never last, right?  The peace is fleeting, and the challenges fly into our lives at a pace we sometimes can’t handle.

But remember this:  the darkness never lasts, either, and the miracles come again, sometimes so fast and fancifully that we have to pause and take note lest we miss them.  And there’s the secret to joy and peace, my friends—it’s being intentional about surrounding ourselves with Easter.  If, in our words, actions and thoughts, we dwell upon the sadness and fear around us because it is so pervasive, we will find ourselves convinced that it is Reality.  But if we dwell upon the Word of God which promises new life, forgiveness, peace and joy, we will see Resurrection unfold around us daily like blossoming flowers.  Philippians 4:8-9 promises us that “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things… and the God of peace will be with you.”  

So I hope to see you in church for Maundy Thursday, Easter Sunday, and all the days after that, as we focus our hearts and minds on beauty and faith, and may your eyes be opened to the Resurrection.  In the poetry of Helen Steiner Rice:

God, give us eyes to see the beauty of the Spring,

And to behold Your majesty in every living thing –

And may we see in lacy leaves and every budding flower

The Hand that rules the universe with gentleness and power –

And may this Easter grandeur that Spring lavishly imparts

Awaken faded flowers of faith lying dormant in our hearts,

And give us ears to hear, dear God, the Springtime song of birds

With messages more meaningful than man’s often empty words

Telling harried human beings who are lost in dark despair –

‘Be like us and do not worry for God has you in His care.’

(Rice, Helen Steiner, “An Easter Prayer,” Lovingly:  Poems for all Seasons, Carmel New York:  Guideposts, 1987, p. 49.)

In love and light,

Martin