A MESSAGE FROM THE REV. SUZANNE TRUMP: LISTENING ANEW
Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
What a beautiful Easter celebration this past weekend. Many thanks to Lindsey for the confetti wands. It was so awesome to see the confetti covering the floor and altar. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us and a special shout out to David Macbeth and our awesome musicians and singers for making our celebration of the Resurrection new and fresh and captivating.
Each year we gather to journey through Lent and celebrate the 
empty tomb on Easter morning. We tell the stories over and over again. The second Sunday of Easter we usually tell the story of Doubting Thomas – spoiler alert, we won’t be telling that story this Sunday; instead we will read from the Book of Acts. For those of you who have spent time in church you will recognize the story of how the first believers lived together, sharing all that they had.
The thing about stories is that the more familiar they are, the more we anticipate what is coming and in doing so, perhaps we miss details or brush over them to get to the good part. We know the stories so well I suspect we stop listening.
So I am encouraging all of us to practice our best listening skills. As we grow and change the way the stories speak to us changes as well. For this moment in time, what do you need, how can the story speak to you anew? How is the story different for you in April of 2024? You are different, life is a journey and we do not stay in the same place, we grow, we change, we move through different stages in life.
And so when we listen as if hearing the story for the first time we might hear just the message we need for this moment in our journeys. Expect the unexpected in the story and let it speak to you anew this week.
Easter Blessings,
Suzanne