Far be it from me to not believe.

Even when my eyes can't see 

And this mountain that's in front of me  

Will be thrown into the midst of the sea…  

So let go my soul and trust in Him  

The waves and wind still know His name… 

Through it all, through it all    

My eyes are on You 

Through it all, through it all   

It is well with me…  

It is well, it is well, with my soul (It is well, Kristene DiMarco)

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof that death does not hold a grip on us. One day we will all be accountable for our lives, but what a blessing that we are forgiven of all our sins and are offered new life in Jesus Christ. In the song, “It is Well” performed by Kristene DiMarco, we get a glimpse of the hope that God offers us. Despite our failings and the difficulties that we face, our relationship with Christ gets us through the toughest of times. When we are tired or exhausted by this pandemic, when we lose a loved one, when we have difficulties at work, when we are fighting sickness or disease, or when we struggle with depression, it is a comfort to know that Christ came to know and feel our pain. Our faith in God’s redeeming hope gives us the strength to go on even when there are mountains in front of us. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus goes to the disciples and said. “Peace be with you.” The cornerstone of every thing we believe is Jesus Christ because he came back after dying on a Christ to let us know that death has no dominion over us. In other words, God is telling us that even though things looked bad on Easter morning, “It is well.” God’s peace is that feeling that although we struggle during this pandemic, we have hope. What Mary and the disciples have seen and heard, enables us to be in fellowship with God and one another. The peace of God is relationship with Jesus Christ and one another. At St. John’s we witness our fellowship through our hospitality to others. Even though we cannot feed our visitors in the Parish Hall, we can invite others to zoom or stream our daily prayer or Sunday services with one another. We can do that by sharing our facebook live services. We can share the light of Christ to others by sharing our concerts, inviting folks to take Sacred Ground, sending a link to our morning prayer, or praying for one another every day.

People come to us with their children and ask us to baptize them in Easter. Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body the Church. The World Council of Churches defined Baptism as “the sign of new life through Jesus Christ” and described baptism as the “entry into the New Covenant between God and God’s people” St. John’s is the living faith that has been passed down to every generation since Mary, Peter, John and the disciples. It is our responsibility to teach the Word of God and Baptize the next generation. This is a more difficult task than it once was. We need every member of our congregation to proclaim that Christ is Risen and all will be well! By looking outward to others instead of inward toward ourselves, we can become the Easter people that God created us to be.

In Christ's love,

Fr. Duncan

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