April 20, 2022
What an amazing Easter Sunday we experienced together! Our church was filled with life and celebration as Christ was proclaimed as the Resurrected Savior! I’ve got news for you though! The best is still yet to come! What we experienced on Easter Sunday is only meant to be the beginning of a larger movement called Easter Tide that will last all the way up until Pentecost Sunday on Sunday, June 5th.
For me, the best way to think about Easter Tide is to think about the beach. One of my favorite things to do is to get a chair and to sit near the water as the afternoon tide is coming in. At first the water is far away, but then as the tide rises, it grows closer and closer. Soon it’s at my feet which is exactly where I like it. There I enjoy the refreshment of the water without getting soaked, but that doesn’t last long. Before I know it, the water is rushing underneath my chair and far behind it. The water that once cooled my feet now is soaking my legs and shows no signs of stopping. I’ve got one of two decisions at that moment. One, I can ask the ocean tide to stop its surging, or two, I can embrace the moment and go swimming. Which one do you think would be the wiser decision?
Easter Tide is the same concept. When Jesus walked out of the tomb, death was defeated. A new day dawned, and a power was unleashed that will not stop until its fulfillment in Christ’s second coming. This power is meant to engulf us fully as we are transformed and live as Easter people. Sure, we could try to manage it by telling God, “I’m not interested in full life change. Only my feet please.” However, that’s about as useful as trying to control the ocean. It’s not going to happen. How about this instead? Embrace the Easter Tide by letting what God began on Easter totally consume your life. Swim deeply in the rising tide of resurrection power and let it take you away!
Beginning this Sunday, I plan to dedicate six sermons to a new series entitled “Fully Alive.” The title of the series comes from a quote by St. Irenaeus who stated, “The glory of God is a human being fully alive.” Here is a link to an article that gives greater context to that quote. All of our scriptural texts will be from Luke’s letter called The Acts of The Apostles or Acts for short. The purpose of this series is to outline how you can be “Fully Alive” in Easter Tide and beyond in Purpose, Prayer, Passion, Possibility, Perseverance, and Power. Sorry for all of the alliteration… It just happened! On a serious note, I pray that you will read Acts as a part of your personal devotion time starting now and reach out and invite others to join you on Sunday morning. Let’s fully embrace this rising Easter Tide together and get carried away in its implications. I can’t wait to be fully alive with you!
Sincerely,
Pastor David
