Dear St. John's Friends and Family:

Sometimes, the Apostle Paul is "wordy" in his letters. (The opening 'sentence' in his letter to the Ephesians is about 240 words long!) And sometimes Paul is wonderfully succinct! Case in point, Romans 12:12 says: Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer! Perfect words for these days!

It's been a whole year since the pandemic uprooted plans, routines, the world's health, and our sense of well-being. What are some of the learnings from this past year? To rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, and persevere in prayer!

This last year has been a struggle in both necessary and unnecessary ways. I have grown in my respect for those among us who struggle continuously in life, with difficult things: with depression, with addiction, with cancer, with poverty, with doubts, with fears, with relationships, with shame, with racism, with governing, with aging, with injustice, with sin, with infertility, with alzheimers. (The list is really endless!)

Realistically speaking, this is part of life in this world! This is the struggle of being human-and living with other humans! This is the struggle of the baptized people of God! This is the challenge of faith! I invite you to cling to this concise teaching of St. Paul's: Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer!

I also invite you to pause and give thanks that we get to celebrate Easter again! (Actually, remember that every Sunday is a mini-celebration of Easter!) Because Easter is God's biggest surprise, and God's biggest supply of hope in the face of all of these ongoing struggles. The resurrection of Jesus is God's way of showing that "love wins", and that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ! The resurrection of Jesus is also the beginning of God's promise to make all things new!

Pastor Paul