FAITH EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
  • Home
  • About Faith
  • Newsletter
  • Contacts
  • Bible Resources
  • Seasons of Faith
  • Directions
  • Calendar
  • Youth Ministry
  • e-giving

​

April 2023 Mustard Seed - A Word from Our Pastor

3/28/2023

 
Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
 
Hello Church! Easter greetings to you all.
 
Depending on when you are reading this, Easter may or may not have passed. However, the promise of the resurrection is alive and flowing. This is the promise of new life. In Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are promised that we, too, will rise again and that death is not be the final chapter.
 
However, in the resurrection, we are also promised new life now. A life filled with joy, hope, and love. In the resurrection, Christ makes all things new. You. Me. All of Creation! God breathes new life into all things, and sets all things free to thrive, grow, and love.
 
This time last year, Eileen and I were welcoming new life into this world. On April 21, 2022, four days after Easter, Luca William Ruppel-Doan was born at 6:32 pm. It was a long and strenuous labor. Eileen had been in labor for nearly 30 hours when Luca was born. Overall, there were no serious complications. However, it was certainly a day to remember!
 
Nothing that anyone can say can prepare you for that moment. People tell you that it will be one of the best moments of your life. However, it is hard to truly understand what they mean until it happens. When the time came, my whole body was overwhelmed with joy. My heart was overflowing with happiness, and my face was covered with tears. My soul was filled with so many emotions that I found it hard to breathe and to stand. I had not even done any hard work, but the nurses insisted that I sit down. In this moment, God physically brought new life into the world. However, God also brought new life to Eileen and me. Although we could not fully appreciate it yet, God had changed our lives.
 
Luca has been alive for nearly a year now and a lot of things have changed for us. Our lives are completely different. I no longer can recognize or imagine who I used to be. I am a new person.
 
Church, this is the promise of the resurrection! God brings new life to each of us and in ways we may not fully comprehend in the moment. This new life may not be some miraculous moment. Jesus may not be physically raising us from the dead like Lazarus. However, God gives us new life in our regular everyday lives because God came to the world as Jesus, a regular everyday human. God has given you new life! However, you may not fully recognize this yet.
 
So, in this Easter season, I challenge you to recognize this new life. I challenge you to walk in the light of Christ that is the light of life. “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1 NRSV)
 
Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
 
Peace and Blessings, Pastor Ethan Doan

Comments are closed.

    Categories

    All
    2021 06 June
    2021 07 July
    2021 08 August
    2021 09 September
    2021 10 October
    2021 11 November
    2021 12 December
    2022 01 January
    2022 02 February
    2022 03 March
    2022 04 April
    2022 05 May
    2022 06 June
    2022 07 July
    2022 08 August
    2022 09 September
    2022 10 October
    2022 11 November
    2022 12 December
    2023 01 January
    2023 02 February
    2023 03 March
    2023 04 April
    2023 05 May

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About Faith
  • Newsletter
  • Contacts
  • Bible Resources
  • Seasons of Faith
  • Directions
  • Calendar
  • Youth Ministry
  • e-giving