Christ Church Anglican
March 30, 2004
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:
It is hard to believe that I have been a part of your worshiping community here at Christ Church for almost three months. I am slowly getting to know each of you and happily settling into life in the north. I have greatly appreciated the warm and enthusiastic welcome that I have received from everyone whom I have met in my short time here. I look forward to getting to know more of you over the coming weeks and months, at Sunday worship and as I begin to make my pastoral rounds to visit you in your homes. If you would like to arrange for me to visit, please contact the church office or call me at home if necessary, otherwise I hope to contact you some time in the weeks ahead.
Although an Anglican since birth, I am quite excited to have the opportunity and the privilege to be able to minister jointly to you at Christ Church Anglican here in Kitimat as well as to the Christ Lutheran congregation in Terrace. In a world where the Christian Church is so fractured, Anglican and Lutheran Full Communion is an encouraging sign of hope for a truly unified Church in which we may all be one in Christ.
This is particularly significant at this time of year when we are called to renew our commitment to resist all that keeps us apart from God and from one another. During Lent we are encouraged to re-examine our lives and set priorities in accordance with our baptismal covenant in preparation for the glorious celebration of Easter. This time of reflection exposes the darkness that we find in our souls to the light of Christ in whose unfathomable love, demonstrated most fully on the cross of Good Friday, we find the forgiveness of sins that leads to new life in Jesus Christ our risen Lord.
Our time of self-examination culminates in the conflicting images of Palm and Passion Sunday and in our Holy Week observances on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. These occasions allow us symbolically to walk with Christ from his triumphant entry into Jerusalem to his last meal and his death on the cross. I would encourage you to participate in these observances, as you are able, since they can deepen our Easter experience of God’s grace.
This is what we celebrate at Easter, the immensity of God’s love and grace in our lives. Let us embrace that love this Easter season, resurrected and renewed in Christ once more. And may the true depth and transformative power of our faith be felt worldwide as we enthusiastically proclaim, "Jesus Christ is risen today. Alleluia!"
The Reverend Margaret Powell, Rector