Are you ready for Easter?  Is the fridge stocked?  Are the eggs hard-cooked?  Are the travel plans made?  Easter is, after all, a very special day.
     Easter - the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  Easter - the day when all was overcome and when death itself was defeated.  Easter - the moment in history when our finite world met God's infinite heaven.  Easter - the day for God's people to begin again, with the promise of new life fulfilled within them.
     But shouldn't we be living in that fullness, that joy, that resurrection spirit all the time, and not just one day out of the year?  there's a song in our Hymnal that reminds us that every day is Easter.  One verse reads:

                Christ is alive, and goes before us
                to show and share what love can do.
                This is a day of new beginnings;
                our God is making all things new!

     God surely is doing a new work at Lincoln Chapel.  We can see the vibrancy and enthusiasm in our worship and in our outreach.  We can see all the light of Christ in the eyes of our older members, and we see the eagerness to learn in the eyes of the children.  We see the overwhelming growth of mid-week and special fellowship opportunities.  We see the joy of belonging to the family of God in the faces of our newest members, and soon-to-be-members.
     Yes, God is surely at work at Lincoln Chapel.  Here, every day is Easter!
     One new opportunity to which I invite all of you is our new Sunday School Program.  Beginning Easter Sunday, the adult classes will combine and meet in the sanctuary.  And the children's classes will combine and meet downstairs.  We are excited to present a new curriculum to our children which will allow for more multi-sensory learning, as well as providing opportunities for peer mentoring within the class.  And I am looking forward to teaching the adult class about building community within the church.  we're joining together so that we may be fed by God's Spirit together.
     If you've been thinking about Sunday School, now is the time to get involved.  Bring the entire family for biblically-based teaching in a safe and welcoming environment.
     Easter will be a day of new beginnings for our Sunday School - and for all of us!
     Come join us for an extra helping of joy this Easter season!
     Marcia and I wish you God's grace and peace in this holy and exciting time,
     Pastor Jon West