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χρήστος ανέστη: Christ is Risen!!!

| Bishop Gronberg’s Blog By

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Easter morning greetings to you all in NT-NL. This morning I am up in the pre-dawn darkness. My family and I go, like the faithful women to the tomb and many of you, to church to prepare for a sunrise service. To do my part to assist with Easter breakfast and then the egg hunt. Most importantly we go so that we can, in response to the presiding minister’s statement “Christ is Risen,” shout “Christ is Risen Indeed.” We shout these words in the darkness this morning into the reality of the darkness of sin and death that fills our lives but which we know this morning cannot win.

Witnessing church buildings being burned by terrorism driven by racial hate we shout “Christ is Risen” and pledge ourselves to work against white supremacy and racial hatred. Watching the Cathedral of Notre Dame, a sacred space to millions, burn last Monday a picture came late at night, in the darkness, of the empty cross standing forth in the rubble. Proclaiming “Christ is Risen” in victory over the fire that could have consumed it but did not because of the vocation of faithful firefighters who risked their lives. We gather this Easter in the darkness to proclaim that death and the grave cannot conquer the desire and power of God for new life. New life for all the earth. New life we proclaim in Word and Sacrament fueling us for our vocation, our lives of discipleship.

Firefighters at the scene of a fire that destroyed Mt. Pleasant Baptist Chiurch located on La. 182 about three miles south of Opelousas.

Fire destroyed Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church 4/4/2019. St. Landry Parish, LA

       (Image: Freddie Herpin/Daily World)

Smoke rises around the alter in front of the cross inside the Notre Dame Cathedral as a fire continues to burn in Paris

  Cross and Altar from Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris after fire 4/15/2019 (Image: Reuters)

Know that on this Easter we in the NT-NL office and I as bishop give thanks for all our Rostered leaders (Pastors and Deacons), congregational staff, and lay volunteers. It takes a dedicated group of disciples to put together the worship and celebrations of the community. We look forward to seeing many of you at Synod Assembly this coming week. But most of all today we are grateful for you, your service to the Risen Christ’s church, and we rejoice with you for…

“χρήστος ανέστη: Christ is Risen!!! αληθώς ανέστη: Christ is Risen Indeed!!!”