Greetings to all!
During this EOS/Eastertide season we have been reflecting on the
stories of Jesus' resurrection appearances. In his sermon, "The Road to
Emmaus," Frederick Beuchner observes the often ordinary nature of these
appearances: in the cemetery garden, in an upstairs room, on the road
to an obscure village, etc.
The sacred moments, the moments of miracle, are often the every-
day moments, the moments which, if we do not look with more than
our eyes or listen with more than our ears, reveal only...the gardener,
a stranger coming down the road behind us, a meal like any other
meal. But if we look with our hearts, if we listen with all of our being
and imagination - if we live our lives not from vacation to vacation,
from escape to escape, but from the miracle of one instant of our
precious lives to the miracle of the next - what we may see is Jesus
himself, what we may hear is the first faint sound of a voice somewhere
deep within us saying that there is a purpose in this life, in our lives,
whether we can understand it completely or not; and that this purpose
follows behind us through all our doubting and being afraid, through
all our indifference and boredom, to a moment when suddenly we
know for sure that everything does make sense because everything is
in the hands of God, one of whose names is forgiveness, another is love.
This is what the stories about Jesus' coming back to life mean, because
Jesus was the love of God, alive among us, and not all the cruelty and
blindness of men could kill him.
(from The Magnificent Defeat)
The scripture lesson for Sunday, May 10, the 6th Sunday of Easter...
Acts 1:1-11
Sunday Conversations continue this Sunday, May 10, 10am, in
Trinity Hall. This Sunday we will be wrapping up our conversations
around "Experiencing the Risen Christ." Come enjoy a cup of coffee,
join the conversation, or just listen in.
THE SPRING POTLUCK will be held on Sunday, May 17, immediately
after morning worship. Bring a salad or side dish, and join us for this
delicious Walnut Hill tradition. Meat and dessert will be provided.
NEPAL RELIEF - Thanks to the generosity of many folks, Walnut Hill
will be sending $1,760 to support relief and reconstruction efforts in
Nepal. Walnut Hill's donation will be part of the Church World Service
response to this tradegy. Visit Nepal Relief for more information on
how Walnut Hill's contribution will be used.
Exploring Our Spirituality (EOS) began on Easter Sunday. Our
theme for this EOS season is "Experiencing the Risen Christ,"
focusing on the resurrection stories found in the New Testament.
You may participate in EOS in any/all of the following ways:
*Sunday Conversations, 10am, Sunday mornings
*Morning Worship, 11am, Sunday mornings (visit
Sunday sermons to hear recordings of EOS season sermons)
*EOS small groups, meeting on Sunday evenings,Tuesday
evenings, and Thursday mornings (contact the church office,
263-5304, for information about joining a small group)
*Individual study and reflection
A workbook is available for individual and small group use.
Contact the church office (263-5304) for a paper copy, or visit
EOS Workbook for the online version.
Calling All High School Graduates: If you have a student in
your household graduating from high school this spring, please
contact the church office by reply email or by phone, so that we
might recognize his/her accomplishment on May 17. Please
do not assume we know. Thanks!
Peace to all.
Mike Ward
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