Beloved in Christ,

Alleluia! Christ is risen!  Our Eastertide journey brings us to the Feast of the Ascension, the Risen Lord's exaltation to the right hand of the Father. The Scriptures tell us that during these days following Jesus' ascension until the Day of Pentecost, the apostles devoted themselves to prayer in anticipation of the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.
 

These days are a gift to us, a brief season of rich prayer centered on seeking the mind of Christ as we strive to more faithfully carry out the mission we are called to as baptized servants.  I invite us all to pray for what God would have us be about in our lives, in our congregations, and in our diocese. What new songs are we to sing? What new tongues, new expressions of the death and resurrection of Jesus are we to speak in our lives that more people may learn of God's great love for them? How will our faith communities enter more deeply into the heart of Jesus who emptied himself for us, and take on new ministries of loving and serving our neighbors?
 

May we live through these days of prayer expecting to be transformed more and more into Christ Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve.  May our Eastertide celebrations bring us all to the joy, fire, and power of Pentecost, and together, let us burn bright with the grace and unconditional love God.

The Lord is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

+Terry