Not Just Another Easter Season Sunday

Almighty God,

you give us the joy

of celebrating our Lord’s resurrection.

Give us also the joys

of life in your service,

and bring us at last to the full joy

of life eternal;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

— A Prayer for “Sundays of Easter,”

from The United Methodist Hymnal, p. 321.

I’ve seen signs and bumper stickers that say only two died for us — that Christ Jesus died for our salvation and the American soldier died for our freedom.

On this Memorial Day Weekend we’re still in The Great 50 Days of Easter between the days of Resurrection and Pentecost.  As we remember and mourn, we do so within the context of the full joy of life eternal.

I’m personally thankful for the hard-won freedom to worship and celebrate salvation with the rest of you today.  I’ll be doing so at Effingham Centenary United Methodist Church.

Where will you be because of the gifts of freedom and salvation?