A Reason to Celebrate

Our Resurrection Sunday service was themed "Celebration of Gladness." If anyone ever had a reason to celebrate it is those of us who have given our lives to the Lord and in return found more joy than we ever imagined possible. 

The children quoted verses referencing gladness and the special number was a very old hymn titled " Melody of Gladness." Pastors message followed in the same thought pattern.

Here is just his closing:

The message of Easter is doubly wonderful. It is wonderful to see the suffering Son coming home to the Father. What a reunion that must have been when Creator embraced Creator and said, "Well done Son. Welcome home." What a wonderful thing to see the bloody Passover Lamb of Good Friday crowned with glory and honor, and handed the scepter of the universe! But it is also wonderful to hear Jesus say, "I want others to be with me, Father. I want others to share my glory. I want my gladness in your glory to overflow like a mountain spring and become the gladness of others. I want my joy in you to be in them and their joy to be full forever and ever." On Easter Sunday morning Jesus blew the lock off the prison of death and gloom and returned to the gladness of God. With that he put his sanction on the pursuit of happiness. And he opened the way for sinners to find never-ending satisfaction at the fountain of the glory of his grace. From the right hand of God he speaks to everyone of us today and invites us to the never-ending banquet: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst (John 6:35) . . . I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. 

I love all the pretty pastel flowers that are popping up all over my yard. 

Rick, Kaite and I recently had the honor of participating in the wedding ceremony of friends. Here is a quick shot from that. Kaite did her job amazingly and was beautiful. Rick did a wonderful job too of course, although that leather vest was a new experience for him. I was honored to be a bridesmaid for a very long-time friend. 

I also snapped a few more pictures of the senior in our family.