Dear Friends in Christ,
In just a few days the sounds and sights of Easter will burst forth across the diocese. Churches from Jenkins Bridge on the Eastern Shore, to inner city Norfolk, to Danville in the West will celebrate the day that defines all the other days of our faith. Lilies will fill our sanctuaries with spring fragrance.
The people of God will don their "Sunday finest" clothes. Bright colors will replace the darkened shades of Lent. Choirs will sing with particular exuberance. Clergy will once again say, "Alleluia" in the liturgy! Children will scatter across the green grass of our church yards in search of brightly colored eggs.
Plates of chicken and brisket, country ham, corn pudding and green-leaf salad will cover picnic tables or parish kitchen counters. The young and the old, the regular attendee, and the rarely seen will gather to celebrate Easter. And it will all be special, it will all be good.
And behind it all will be the hope that keeps us coming back year after year, the belief that this ancient feast we celebrate is more than some mere observance of an unexplainable empty tomb. Behind it all is the hope that "Yes, it is true - He has risen indeed." Continue reading...