Dear Sisters & Brothers in our Risen Lord,
  A blessed Easter to you!

    Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!
    Because he has, we are promised these things by God.  In the last day all who believe in Christ will be raised from death as Christ has been and will live forever.  So, believer, live with hope as you anticipate your own death.  You shall rise again!  This may seem to be far away, but the number of deaths in our community in the last weeks should cause any sane person to know otherwise.  So Jesus' resurrection is relevant, important, and "here-and-now" comfort and hope.  Know that your loved ones who have died in Christ will rise again and be with the Lord forever. 
     The resurrection of Jesus not only causes resurrection of the body, but also gives new life right now.  Because Christ rose we also shall rise or do rise.  In our Baptism we are united to the death of Christ and we die to sin.  In our Baptism we are united to the resurrection of Christ and rise as new persons.                          What is it to be a new person?  It is among countless things to be forgiven of all sin, to belong to the family of God - cherished, holy, and always loved.  It is to live, not by the motivation of our self or some other influence, but by the Spirit.  And the Spirit incites us to gentleness, kindness, love, patience, hope, forgiveness, self-control, and a few other things that make Christians the best of friends & lovers.  In new life we are free and overflowing with hope.  In new life we are servants, living for the benefit of others and for the glory of God.  In the new life, as we serve we often suffer, for loving is frequently hard to do and at times is in conflict with society's norms.  In new life we live in joy, not because it's mostly fun, though strong faith, confidence and hope can go a long way toward "fun."  We live in joy because we are new in Christ, any sufferings now do not compare with the glory that shall be ours in Christ forever, and God will befriend us at all times.
    A blessed Easter, and may your and my commitment and gift of our self to serve our Lord, be like our Lord's to us.
  And remember, Easter is not a day, it is a 50-day season in which to celebrate our Lord's resurrection.  I expect we can't even get it done in that time.  So keep at it!         Peace & Joy, Pastor John   

Here are a few youth opportunities coming up.  Talk to Brenda or Pastor about them.  Three excellent youth bands (your sound!) coming to Watertown.  Skillet (the Alien Youth Tour) featuring the Benjamin Gate plus 38th Parallel in Concert, Watertown Civic Arena, Sunday, Apr 14, 7pm