This coming Sunday we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord, more commonly known as Easter.

This will be a brief piece, since for the past ten days or so I’ve been knee-deep in reading, writing and sermonizing. Late Wednesday afternoon, it occurred to me that there was this one small item that I had yet to create – this weekly reflection.

I confess that I seriously considered skipping a week, but I quickly reconsidered. Why? Because I would have then spent the entire weekend beating myself up for not meeting my own expectations, and I can’t stand feeling guilty.

So, I’m borrowing from a piece I wrote several years ago, with apologies for taking a short cut.

Easter tends to coincide with the opening of the Major League Baseball season.

And any serious baseball fan will tell you that the two greatest proclamations ever uttered in human history are: “Christ is risen!” and “Play Ball.”

The idea of new hope and new life that we affirm at Easter also corresponds with the optimism that each team and its fans embrace each year in early April.

But how can we as a church take that connection with baseball a bit deeper and expand on that optimism when it comes to our congregations?

Easter is much like Opening Day of the baseball season.

Easter is the best attended Sunday of the year. We get up on Easter morning, excited about the day, happy to be getting dressed and ready for an outstanding church service. There's no better day in the church year, than Easter! If you're only going to go one Sunday a year, surely it's got to be Easter! There's a great brunch in between services, lots of beautiful flowers, a brass quartet, and our organist and choirmaster pulls out all the stops on the organ – what’s not to like about Easter Sunday services?

The challenge is then, how can we make that joy, that hope, that optimism that we will experience in worship, and make it a reality in our lives and carry it out of the doors of our sanctuaries into the streets of our neighborhoods?

That is what we’ll explore together this Easter Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Don’t forget the brunch in between. If ever there was the perfect opportunity, this is the day to invite and bring a friend!

+Pastor Abraham Allende

Episcopal Good Friday Offering

The history of the Good Friday Offering reaches back to 1922 when, in the aftermath of World War I, The Episcopal Church sought to create new relationships with and among the Christians of the Middle East. From these initial efforts which focused on a combination of relief work and the improvement of ecumenical and Anglican relations, the Good Friday Offering was created. Through the years many Episcopalians have found the Good Friday Offering to be an effective way to express their support for the ministries of the dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. By supporting life-giving ministries in the province, including St. George’s, Baghdad; the eye clinic in Ras Morbat, Yemen; the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza; and numerous other institutions identified by their dioceses, you are ensuring that our siblings in Christ are not forgotten. The generous donations of Episcopalians help the Christian presence in the Land of the Holy One to be a vital and effective force for peace and understanding among all of God’s children. Details for donating online, by phone, or by check are available here.