Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
My beloved colleague, The Reverend Adriene Thorne, has been challenging her Facebook community to enter into a time of seeing with Easter eyes. With Easter eyes we see renewal and rebirth, and we see that we are invited into God’s abundance and extravagance. With Easter eyes we see the natural world come alive around us and we are encouraged to come alive as well. At Easter we feel the weight of the cross lifted and our spirits can soar. With Easter eyes we focus on Christ and God’s mission to the world in which we live.
As I contemplate what it might look like to view the Synod through Easter eyes, I am challenged to seek out places where renewal is beginning, places where life is beginning to bloom. Easter doesn’t come without Good Friday and neither does a tree bloom without also having endured the frost of winter. With Easter eyes, I hope we will move into the season of rebirth and renewal that will bring abundance and life to our Synod. I ask you to join me in welcoming The Reverend Greg Town as our new Minister of Renewal and Revitalization beginning in June and also to join with me in a season of seeing with Easter eyes what God is doing among us.