On April 12th we will celebrate Easter. We celebrate the truth that conquered sin, Satan and death. He is our conquering Lord; He is the Prince of Life. And because He lives, each day brings us life and hope.

One of our Easter Hymns proclaims:

“Oh, fill us Lord, with dauntless love; Set heart and will on things above That we conquer through your triumph; Grant grace sufficient for life’s day That by our lives we truly say: Christ has triumphed! He is living!”

Another of our Easter hymns declares:

“Jesus lives! For me he died, Praise to him and glory living Pure in heart and act abide, Praise to him and glory giving
All I need God will dispense; This shall be my confidence.”

Do you hear these words? Because Jesus is our conquering Lord and the Prince of Life, our lives are changed forever. We are His and nothing can separate us from Him and His love. Even in the midst of this coronavirus crisis, we can have an inner peace and strength to face each day. We too conquer through His triumph. He grants “grace sufficient for life’s day.” By how we live our lives and face each day “we truly say: Christ has triumphed! He is living.” All I need God will dispense; This shall be my confidence.”

We are the Easter people who celebrate life because of God’s gift of life, which we have received through His Son, Jesus Christ. We have been forgiven, healed and renewed that we might live in a new way. And this new life in Christ is expressed in the way we care about each other. We are meant to share Christ’s strength, hope and compassion with each other. We are to stand with each other and reach out to one another with Christ’s love. Our love and affection, our caring and assistance, our listening and sharing, our comfort and courage — these all are gifts from God that give us life and bring new life to those around us.

So, in this time of crisis in our nation, let us not get caught up in ourselves and our families alone. Let us trust in our God who gives us “grace sufficient for life’s day”, knowing that “all I need God will dispense.”

Check on your neighbors. Give them a call. Are they doing all right? In your concern, you can indeed offer them strength, hope and compassion. Send cards to our those who are residing in places which are currently experiencing lock-down.

We are Christ-filled people, who are oriented and empowered for a new way of living. In, this time, let us focus on Jesus Christ, our triumphant, living Lord. When we focus on Him, His energetic, caring and loving Leadership will guide us in the way we are to go.

May our prayer always be: “Lord, you are my risen Lord, you are my Rock and strength, your love and grace SUSTAIN me each day. Teach me, show me your way, help me to grow daily in knowledge of and love for you, that through me you can bring me life to those around me. Amen.”
~ Pastor Phil

A Further Message

Hopefully all our members have been notified by phone that all activities here at Stavanger have been cancelled until further notice, including Easter worship. I plan to write a letter to you each week. This letter will include the Sunday lessons with some thought about those scripture readings. I encourage you to take time each Sunday for worship.

This might include listening to a radio broadcast, watching a worship service on television and picking up a service over YouTube. For you with children, have your children sing some songs they learned at Sunday school and share with them stories of Jesus or other Bible stories.

Although we cannot come together for Sunday school or worship at this time, we need to continually remember who we are. We are the children of God! We are the Easter people! After Good Friday came Easter. Out of darkness the Light shown bright; out of fear came peace; out of despair came hope. God is still in charge. He reigns! Trust Him! Let us continually seek Him in prayer, in our devotional life, in worship.

The psalmist declares, “O give thanks to the Lord, call his name, make known his deeds among the peoples! Sign to him, sing praises to him, tell of all his wonderful works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his presence continually!” Psalm 105:1-4

Know all of you remain in my prayers. Although my normal activities have changed, God is good! He has given me this extra time for prayer. So, if you have any particular concerns you would like me to pray for, call me. And now may the God of peace, the God who raised our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead, strength and sustain you in this time. I would like to share with you one of my favorite Bible verses, Isaiah 41 : 10 “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”
~ Pastor Phil