Peace Presbyterian Church

“Enjoying New Life”

As we move into May, we continue to enjoy the Easter season by rejoicing in the new life that God offers us, as we trust in and as we follow Jesus Christ. What does this new life look like and how can we enjoy it to the fullest? As we ponder the lives of the early disciples, it is clear that seeing, talking to, and encountering the risen Jesus dramatically and permanently changed and altered each of their lives. The early disciples were shattered, grieving, confused and fearful after the death of Jesus. After seeing their risen Lord, they were filled with a passion, a joy and a purpose that would govern the rest of their lives and even deaths. We too can experience the transforming power of the risen Christ in our lives. Once we meet, see and hear from Jesus, our lives are to never be the same, as we learn to love and to live as Jesus did, as we die to self and live for the Lord.

Our faith in and relationship with Jesus is to give us new hope, joy and peace, that permeates every relationship and moment of our lives. In his book, Living the Resurrection; The Risen Christ in Everyday Life, Eugene Peterson, suggests that the resurrection of Christ is the central and defining aspect of our lives as believers, that we “live the Christian life out of a rich tradition of formation by resurrection” (13). The resurrection of Christ is to be crucial and formative for our daily lives and daily walks of faith. In following Jesus, we become counter cultural people who seek to live for Christ, instead of for our own selves or for pleasing our own desires.

Peterson says “the enormous interest in ‘spirituality’ these days is not accompanied by much, if any, interest in the long and intricate and daily business of formation in Christ-that is, the practice of the dispositions and habits of the heart that changes our world spirituality from a wish or a desire or a fantasy or a diversion into an actual life lived to the glory of God.” (12-3). Discipleship is rooted in the little decisions and moments of each day, that when added up over time, help shape who we are and who we become. The foundation of our new lives in Christ is that we exist to give glory to God alone.

Peterson says there are three main ways we can allow Christ’s resurrection to transform our lives: in resurrection wonder and awe at the power, person and presence of God; in resurrection meals, in celebrating the power and resurrection of Christ in our most common moments; in resurrection friends, as we celebrate how Jesus is alive in and through our relationships with one another.

We are called to be God’s children by being like little children, who see every moment as an opportunity to enter into God’s presence and to experience the gift of life, with wonder, awe, gratitude and praise. We can learn to see, to find and to encounter the risen Lord in each and every moment and in other people in our lives, and in doing so, we can celebrate the new life God has in store for us. New life, life in Christ, can be embraced as we learn to see life from Christ’s perspective, as a great gift, as a gift of grace. Life is a blessing to be enjoyed in each moment, as we focus on Christ’s resurrection, as we enjoy the new life He offers us.

In this Easter season, let us live new lives in Christ, through prayer, gratitude and worship as we welcome Jesus into every area, every relationship and every moment of our lives.

Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed!

Happy Easter,
Pastor Brian

“...shattered, grieving, confused and fearful...”

“...says there are 3 main ways we can allow Christ’s resurrection to transform our lives...”

Archive of Pastor’s Pages: links to Pastor Brian’s newsletters and now his sermons, too.
View Pastor Brian’s Personal Statement of Faith.