Dear members and friends of First Lutheran Church –
First of all, just to be clear, I am not the interim pastor that you are awaiting. I am the pastor of your ELCA Lutheran neighbors in the Bowdon-Bremen-Concordia Parish, which I have served since 2010. I know a good number of you, but some of you I may not have met. I live with my husband Larry and my two teenage sons Joshua and Michael in the parsonage at Bowdon Lutheran. You are in my prayers these days as you lean into this transition time and think about what God’s mission means at First Lutheran Church. If you would like to contact me, you may check with your church office.
Given that we are (hopefully) on the waning side of this pandemic, you may have big plans this year for Easter, perhaps gathering with both your church family and your extended families. If you do, there is something very resurrection-like being able to gather again this year. It’s like we are rising from the dead. If you are not yet able to gather with anyone, your experience may be closer to the dawning of that first day when all was still quiet. There were no chaotic Easter décor aisles or ham dinners to prepare. The grief and loss of Jesus’ death was heavy upon his close friends. Even when they heard the news, it was so baffling that the Gospel of Mark says they said nothing to anyone. Resurrection may be a dawning, more than a flash. Maybe that’s why we have an Easter season rather than just one Sunday.
There are several compelling Easter images, including the cocoon opening to a butterfly, and a prairie crocus peeking out of the snow. One of my favorite traditions of Easter continues to be Easter eggs, which have long reminded Christians of the empty tomb, cracked open and delivering the living Christ. Sometimes dyed Easter eggs have been handed out during the Easter Vigil service held on the Eve of Easter. The different colors tell different parts of the passion story. Sometimes Christians have greeted one another by tapping each other’s eggs together that they hold in their hands. And when there is an egg hunt, the joy of discovering the egg mirrors the joy of the first disciples discovering the empty tomb. Recently, I learned that Martin Luther himself was involved in preparing the earliest Easter egg hunts for children.
A brand new tradition I began last spring with my family was “A Fish Breakfast with Jesus.” This is not for Easter Day but for some time in the first couple of weeks after Easter, reminding us of the risen Christ as he continued to appear to the disciples. There are a few stories of Jesus eating fish with his disciples, which helped them realize that he was truly alive. I invite you to join me this year with your own breakfast. Prepare a simple fish breakfast to enjoy as a family. Begin with the Alleluia Easter greeting and a table prayer. If you are inclined to sing an Easter hymn, certainly do so! Then while you are eating, someone may read the breakfast story from John 21. Discuss together what it means to recognize the risen Christ in your midst. What does that feel like? Before leaving the table, send each person with a cross marked on their forehead and the words of Jesus. Feed my sheep. Make sure that the cook has plenty of help cleaning up!
In the risen Christ’s love, Pastor Pauline
First of all, just to be clear, I am not the interim pastor that you are awaiting. I am the pastor of your ELCA Lutheran neighbors in the Bowdon-Bremen-Concordia Parish, which I have served since 2010. I know a good number of you, but some of you I may not have met. I live with my husband Larry and my two teenage sons Joshua and Michael in the parsonage at Bowdon Lutheran. You are in my prayers these days as you lean into this transition time and think about what God’s mission means at First Lutheran Church. If you would like to contact me, you may check with your church office.
Given that we are (hopefully) on the waning side of this pandemic, you may have big plans this year for Easter, perhaps gathering with both your church family and your extended families. If you do, there is something very resurrection-like being able to gather again this year. It’s like we are rising from the dead. If you are not yet able to gather with anyone, your experience may be closer to the dawning of that first day when all was still quiet. There were no chaotic Easter décor aisles or ham dinners to prepare. The grief and loss of Jesus’ death was heavy upon his close friends. Even when they heard the news, it was so baffling that the Gospel of Mark says they said nothing to anyone. Resurrection may be a dawning, more than a flash. Maybe that’s why we have an Easter season rather than just one Sunday.
There are several compelling Easter images, including the cocoon opening to a butterfly, and a prairie crocus peeking out of the snow. One of my favorite traditions of Easter continues to be Easter eggs, which have long reminded Christians of the empty tomb, cracked open and delivering the living Christ. Sometimes dyed Easter eggs have been handed out during the Easter Vigil service held on the Eve of Easter. The different colors tell different parts of the passion story. Sometimes Christians have greeted one another by tapping each other’s eggs together that they hold in their hands. And when there is an egg hunt, the joy of discovering the egg mirrors the joy of the first disciples discovering the empty tomb. Recently, I learned that Martin Luther himself was involved in preparing the earliest Easter egg hunts for children.
A brand new tradition I began last spring with my family was “A Fish Breakfast with Jesus.” This is not for Easter Day but for some time in the first couple of weeks after Easter, reminding us of the risen Christ as he continued to appear to the disciples. There are a few stories of Jesus eating fish with his disciples, which helped them realize that he was truly alive. I invite you to join me this year with your own breakfast. Prepare a simple fish breakfast to enjoy as a family. Begin with the Alleluia Easter greeting and a table prayer. If you are inclined to sing an Easter hymn, certainly do so! Then while you are eating, someone may read the breakfast story from John 21. Discuss together what it means to recognize the risen Christ in your midst. What does that feel like? Before leaving the table, send each person with a cross marked on their forehead and the words of Jesus. Feed my sheep. Make sure that the cook has plenty of help cleaning up!
In the risen Christ’s love, Pastor Pauline