This past week has brought a sense of heaviness in my heart. My oldest child graduated from high school. She has achieved all that I could have possibly dreamed she would up to this point in life. To say I'm proud is an understatement. Completion of high school also means that life in our family is shifting. It won't quite be the same because she will experience a new season of life that will bring fresh experiences and countless life lessons. As I've talked to Cyd the last few days we both agree we feel a sense of sadness while simultaneously finding our hearts filled with hope for what is to come for our graduate. Truthfully, the heaviness I feel is linked to other factors. For starters, this week marks 11 years since my Dad died from pancreatic cancer. I'm not a big death anniversary kind of person, but reaching a milestone with a child makes you miss a parent even more. The interesting thing about grief is that for most people, not a day goes by that you don't
Scripture Reading Matthew 28:1-10 The message of Easter is that out of utter darkness God gave life and light. At Easter we often have Easter lilies in our homes or at church. A lily begins as a flower bulb that is kept in a cool, dark place. Out of this dark place a beautiful flower grows. "Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light things that are now hidden in darkness" (1 Corinthians 4:5). In the same way, God turned the darkness and despair of Christ's death on the cross into something beautiful. This season of Lent that we have committed ourselves to, we have been preparing for today. Today is the day we have awaited. We have touched the ashes in repentance over our sins, we have remembered the Last Supper that Christ had with his disciples, we have been reminded of the servanthood of Christ by seeing his example of washing the disciple's feet. We mourned on Good Friday as we recalled the events of Christ's suffering and death. Finally, today we come