Grace and peace!
“the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God”
Romans 8:19
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
After a long road-trip, accompanied by the playlist of God’s steadfast love, we have reached Easter. Easter Sunday marks the beginning of a new season in the church year. After the cold winter months, the cold darkness of a tomb, new life springs forth. This Eastertide, I want to invite you to pay close attention to the natural world around you as it points to who God is. The Scriptures make clear that we as individuals are not the only victims of sin. All of creation has suffered because of sin, and so, our salvation by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is good news, not only for us, but for all creation.
To help you in this, our Sunday services this Eastertide will follow a theme called “Believing into Christ,” developed by the General Board of Discipleship of the UMC. Each Sunday, using the Gospel according to St. John and the Book of Revelation, my sermons will encourage you to go beyond just believing the good news of Jesus Christ in your mind. I want you to be assured of your forgiveness, fully convinced of God’s love for you because God, the Holy Spirit, “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). And, I want you to follow God’s call to embody your faith, that is to live out your faith in your daily life, and see how God can use you to transform the world around you.
Sincerely
Rev. Pedro A. Pillot
Here’s a preview of our sermons for each Sunday:
April 27–The 2nd Sunday of Easter– “Embodied Believing”
The risen Christ still bore the marks of his suffering, so he embodies our salvation. Today we explore how our faith is embodied in us.
May 4 – The 3rd Sunday of Easter & Native American Ministries Sunday – “Circling Toward Food Justice”
The third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection, he shared a meal of bread and fish with them and told Simon Peter to “feed” his sheep. Today we will hear how God calls Christians to stand for food justice.
May 11 – The 4th Sunday of Easter & Mother’s Day– “Springs of Living Water”
In his Revelation, John of Patmos is told of a future when Jesus himself will shepherd his people, when there will be no more hunger and thirst, where the people will be led to springs of the water of life. Today we will hear about how God calls Christians to stand for ecological justice
May 18 – The 5th Sunday of Easter – “A New World”
Both the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation use the imagery of a wedding feast to describe God’s love for humanity, and the uniting of heaven with earth. In the process, God makes something new. Today we will hear about our role in transforming the world as disciples of Jesus Christ.
May 25 – The 6th Sunday of Easter – “The Tree of Life”
The Tree of Life which God stopped Adam and Eve from eating in Eden reappears in the Book of Revelation, but this time, its leaves are for the healing of the nations. Today we will hear how God call us as Christians to stand as trees, planted by streams of water, for the healing of the nations.
June 1 – The 7th Sunday of Easter – “Becoming One”
Our salvation by faith in Jesus Christ points us to the hope of the restoration of all creation. This Eastertide we have seen how all of creation is dependent on God, and how each person has a role to play in carrying God’s love to the world. Today we renew our prayer, the same one we pray in the Great Thanksgiving in Holy Communion, “make us one with each other, one with Christ, and one in ministry to all the world.”
