It's All the Same Picnic
This Sunday we will actually be starting a normal program year. It has been a while, and oh my goodness have I missed having everyone together. To celebrate, we will be having a special picnic after the 10:30 service. There will be hotdogs and Frito pies along with an ice cream sundae bar complete with all the toppings. Everything will be provided, all we need is for you to join us. Little ones are invited to bring swimsuits for the sprinklers and splashpads.
One of my favorite places I visited on my pilgrimage to the Holy Land a few years ago is the beach by the sea of Galilee where it is believed that Jesus appeared after the resurrection. After losing Jesus on the cross, the disciples had gone back to the only thing they had known before they began following him. They went fishing. They were out at sea and not catching anything when a man from the shore told them to throw their nets to the other side of the boat. When they then caught so many fish they almost couldn’t pull them in (John tells us it was 153 fish!), they recognized Jesus for who he is and were overjoyed. They came to shore and found him cooking fish and bread over a small charcoal fire. I just love this. It is so understated and relational. Jesus doesn’t come back glowing white or with trumpets and angels. He meets his friends on the shore to eat with them and share the Good News of what God has done for all of us.
I can’t imagine what it must have been like to have their world turned upside down on that serene sea shore. I can barely imagine what it will be like to gather for fellowship and fun this Sunday. I pray that we will be mindful that this is how Jesus modeled the Church, the community of the faithful. We come together to pray and sing. We are fed with God’s grace. And we will have a picnic. Ours will be a bit less understated that the one Jesus had on that shore, but we are still part of that Church. We are still sharing in the Good News of what God has done for all of us in Jesus Christ. Please join us for this wonderful celebration!
We love you and God loves you,
Josh Condon+