New Things Are Coming

Jesus crucified was an unparalleled ending. Its violent haunt so great it prompted atmospheric shifts, where the sun ceased shining, and left in its wake the anguished souls of those who followed Jesus and put their hope in him. But, as Craig D. Lounsbrough wrote, “The size of an ending will never offset the inevitability of a beginning.” Whereas Good Friday marks a significant ending, the God we serve does not stop at endings, but has a beginning for every ending experienced. Resurrection Sunday—with its rolled away stone, empty tomb, and Risen Christ—is about the inevitability of beginnings!

As we reflect on beginnings, we thank God for the new beginnings in our spiritual lives, inaugurated by the Resurrection of Jesus the Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth, “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!” And as the old spiritual goes, “I looked at my hands and they looked new. I looked at my feet and they did, too!” In Christ, newness is within and around us.

However, I would invite us to extend our gaze. In this season, I sense that in Christ, new things are coming into being at the First Baptist Church of Englewood!  If we look closely,  we will see new opportunities, new possibilities, new disciples, new initiatives, new energy, new life, and new hope! So as we celebrate Resurrection Sunday and move into Eastertide, I invite us to embrace God’s new thing at FBC!

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Donna Owusu-Ansah