Pastor's Devotions by Tim Harris

I wonder what the day after Easter—i.e. the day after Jesus’ resurrection—was like for Jesus’ first group of followers. I know what the day after Easter is like for most of us. We go back to work or school. After a day of celebration, we force ourselves to get back into the normal routine of life—albeit a little tired and a still a little full from all the food we’ve eaten. We ask each other, “How was your Easter?” and then go on to talk about the weather or the latest news items. We enjoyed the church services, but now it’s time to get back into the real world of schedules, stocks, and sports. Like the day after any holiday, the day after Easter can even seem to be a bit of a letdown. But I wonder, is that the way it was for Jesus’ first followers the day after they experienced the risen Christ? Did they just get back to the normal routines of their lives? Was it a day of letdown? I don’t think so. I tend think that when they woke up that Monday morning they had to first of all as...

Tonight, Monday, April 18, 2011, is the first night of Passover. Thus, Jewish families all around the world are sitting together this evening sharing in the Passover Seder. As they do, they will eat various foods that help them not only remember but actually relive the Exodus experience of their forefathers who were miraculously set free from Egyptian bondage. For example, as they taste the parsley dipped in salt water, they will taste the tears of those who labored under Pharaoh. As they eat the sweet apple and nut mixture called charoset, they will taste the sweetness of their God-given freedom. My family and I will be sharing in the Seder later this week (we are waiting for our son, Jonathan to get home from college). One of the major components of the Passover Seder are the four cups of wine that are received as a memorial to the four promises God gave to his people through Moses. These promises are denoted by the four “I wills” of Exodus 6:6-7 which says, “I will bring you out ...

Last Tuesday, April 5, 2011 my 94 year old grandmother (and last grandparent) passed away. On Thursday we held the funeral service and buried her. On Saturday we cleaned out her apartment. Now all that’s left are the few mementos we have in our homes and the host of memories that we hold in our hearts. My grandmother was only 42 years old when I, the oldest of her five grandchildren, was born. As a young grandmother, she was able to run around New York City with her five grandchildren. We went to Radio City Music Hall, Chinatown, Central Park, The Museum of Natural History, etc. We ate at all kinds of restaurants: Chinese, Cuban, Mexican, Greek – even the Hilton Hotel in Midtown. Just about every other weekend she would come to our house and babysit us. We would play games, have “tea parties,” and eat cookies and rolls from the Jewish bakery. Being that she was Jewish, it was from her we learned not only about Jewish foods – corned beef, pastrami, rugelach, challah bread, knishes, ...

It’s felt like the winter that would never end. Aside from a few warm days that teased us with a bit of spring-like weather, we’ve had a pretty cold and nasty March. I know March is supposed to come in like a lion. But it is also supposed to go out like a lamb. That’s hardly been the case. This morning as I was walking our dog, Mabel, once again it started to snow. I thought to myself, Is this an April Fool’s Day joke? After all, here we are on April 1st , a couple of weeks into spring, wondering whether or not we’re going to be shoveling out one more time. We all know, however, not only does the weather play all kinds of tricks on us, acting quite unpredictable at times, but so does life itself. We set our plans in motion. We have our expectations and timeframes. We look for the patterns and seasons of life to take a particular course. But, then things don’t turn out the way we expected. We are left wondering, is this for real? We feel taken! We feel as if someone has played an Apri...