Greetings, Brothers and Sisters in Christ!
I enjoy baking, even though I don’t often have time for it. When I do, I love the smell that comes out of the oven and after the amount of time you have to wait for your creations to cool before eating, the first bite becomes even more satisfying and delicious. That is, when you have followed all the steps and in the correct order. Miss a step or perform them out of order and that first bite can be a disaster.
Like a great recipe, we are following all of the steps to arrive at a joyous Easter celebration. We donned the ashes of our sins on Ash Wednesday and we are worshipping through the Lenten Sundays, recalling the stories of Jesus, remembering His life and the important aspects of it. Soon it will be Holy Week, a week of critical steps that cannot be skipped in the Easter journey. Palm Sunday brings the triumphant entry into Jerusalem as Christ enters His final week and willingly walks into His death. Maundy Thursday we remember the Last Supper that Christ shared with His disciples and the arrest that followed in the garden. Good Friday we mourn at the foot of the cross as Christ takes His last breath and gives up His spirit. And Holy Saturday we honor a day without Christ before we rejoice on Easter morning, singing that death could not hold our Savior and will not hold us either! What a journey! What a story! What a celebration!
I invite you to gather with your church family for each of these steps in our spiritual journey. To pray, to sing, to hear the Word, to remember the story and to honor God through all we do. In addition to our regular worship opportunities, I invite you to join us on Saturday, April 13, at 1:00pm for a Palm Cross Workshop, where we will make Palm Crosses for Palm Sunday out of fresh palms. Refreshments and teachers will be provided, just bring a willing spirit. This will be in lieu of our previously advertised “Family Night” on April 12, as the whole church family, all ages, are invited to participate in this workshop.
Second, the Worship Team invites you to bring a flower, any flower, on Easter Sunday to bring the tradition of flowering the cross to Torrance First. The cross from Good Friday will be adorned with fresh flowers on Easter Sunday to show the transformation and new life that comes on Easter Sunday.
See you at church! Pastor Stacy